Kyuubified's Ramblings

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab / Trading Post Review and Haul!

2010-11-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

I've never bought from BPAL before, and I have wanted to for YEARS. Kind of feel lame getting obsessed with them so late, when there are so many people who have been buying their scents for years, but, eh. Better late then never. Overall, I am very impressed with the scents; they are all crafted and thought out very well. I high recommend them, and am overall pleased with the majority of the scents.

What I Ordered (Might Post Pictures if Anyone is Interested)

Black Phoenix Trading Post
Halloween Inquisition Pack (Treat) :
• LICORICE BATS – Black licorice with cacao nibs and anise.
• TREATSY BATH OIL - Apple candies and lemon drops.
• PLASTIC JACK O’LANTERN SOAP - A plastic Jack o’Lantern, scattered with bits of rock candy, honey taffy, butterscotch, marshmallow buttons, gumdrops, jellybeans, and bubblegum.
• WHITE PUMPKIN EXTRAIT
• IMP’S EAR: WAD OF CHEWED UP STRAWBERRY BUBBLEGUM

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab
• Halloweenie: Boo 2010 - Eerie billows of spun sugar, fluttering white cotton, and sheets of cream.
• Halloweenie: Ghoulish - This season’s Ridiculous Scent! Creepy like Creepy and as spooky as Spooky, this is the scent of a black cherry and coconut amaretto confection gently laced with saffron.
Imp’s Ears:
• HUNGER - Evokes sheer, unadulterated carnal lust. An undeniably warm and sensual scent. Black narcissus, orange blossoms, and vanilla.
• LOLITA - Bright, sweet and youthful, but swelling with a poisonous sexuality. Glittering heliotrope, honeysuckle, orange blossom and lemon verbena.
• SIREN - Bewitching, tantalizing and dangerously seductive. A thrilling, exotic blend — deceptively sweet, but spiked with malice. White ginger, jasmine, and a touch of vanilla and apricot.
• HAUNTED - A mournful, poignant scent, thick with foreboding. Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk.
• BLOOD - A vital, bold scent, throbbing with sensuality. Essence of dragon’s blood resin, thickened with myrrh and cherry, with a trickle of clove.
• MAENAD - Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus.
• FAE - A brilliant, ethereal scent: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss.
Imp Samples:
• BLUE FIRE - Papaya, blueberry, lemongrass, and gin.
• BRUISED VIOLET COMPOND – Crushed violets, red currant, patchouli root and Spanish moss. http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/bruisedviolet_lg.gif
• BIEN LOIN D’ICI – The Scarlet Woman, aglow with sensual indolence: red musk, benzoin, caramel accord, golden honey, and spiced Moroccan unguents.
• THE APOTHECARY – Tea leaf with three mosses, green grass, a medley of herbal notes, and a drop of ginger and fig.
• L’EAMEN DE MINUIT – The rapture of sorrowful things: frankincense, black plum, melancholy lilac, rose otto, and myrrh.
• TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE BAT – A sparkly, batty little scent: green tea, melon, mint, lime rind, and champagne grape with lemon balm, mullein, and toadflax.

I Choose You! - #262 Mightyena

2010-10-09T01:12:00.000-07:00

RAMBLE RAMBLE So I got a new camera and I am in love with it. There. I said it. My old one broke and as much as I liked it and all the good times we shared... I definitely am loving the new one. ANYWHO. Mightyena! I noticed this looks WAY too similar to Absol, and I'm kicking myself for that. Oh well...

Brows:
Senna Cosmetics Brow Shaper in Light Taupe

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk
88 Palette
MAC eye shadows in; Carbon, Print
Rimmel Stay Matte Compact Powder Foundation in Sand
LA Splash Eye Sparkle in Island Sunset
MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline
K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24hr
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

Cheeks:
NARS bronzer in "Laguna"

Lips:
OCC Liptar in "Petty Beige"

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #133 Eevee

2010-07-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

I was requested by someone on YouTube to do a tutorial on eevee. Eevee I think is super adorable, and probably among my top 20 favorite pokemon. They specified this was for a con, so while I could easily have done something really extreme and unwearable (as it was for gijinka cosplay) I decided to keep it pretty simple and pretty, because that is kind of the vibe I get from eevee. Hope you like :)

>

Brows:
MAC Fluidline in Black Track (applied SUPER lightly)
Brown e/s from the 88 Palette

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Kryolan Aquacolor in #043 (Brown)
Matte Warm Brown (Lancome; color name unknown), matte Lighter tan (Mary Kay; color name unknown), Dark brown (Chanel; color name unknown)
*** You could substitute colors from the 88 palette for these**
MAC eyeshadow in "Next to Nothing"
MAC fluidline in "Black Track"
K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24hr
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara
False Lashes (brand unknown)

Cheeks:
NARS bronzer in "Laguna"
NARS blush in "Orgasm"

Lips:
NYX Lipliner Pencil in Soft Brown
Lancome Color Design Lipstick in "Sugared Maple"
OCC Liptar in "Petty Beige"
NYX Goddess of the Night Lipgloss in "Smokey Look"

(Excuse my photos, for some reason my camera took them so I look really pale and ashy for some reason...)

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #384 Rayquaza

2010-07-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

This was probably the most dificult damn pokemon tutorial I have done up to date. It's actually easier to do than Goldeen, however, for some reason this particular pokemon was bad luck. I literally have attempted to do a tutorial, not just a practice, but legitimately FILMING a tutorial about FIVE TIMES before I got it right. Kind of sort of ridiculous, I know. I was originally going to do something crazier, but them I remembered to "KISS"; keep it simple, stupid. Hope you like :)

Brows:
Senna Cosmetics Brow Shaper in Light Taupe
Brown e/s from the 88 Palette

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Kryolan Aquacolor in #512 (Leaf green), #509 (yellow), and #081 (red)
88 Original Palette
MAC eyeshadow in "Goldenrod"
MAC kohl power eye pencil in "Feline"
K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24hr
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

Cheeks:
NARS bronzer in "Laguna"

Lips:
NYX Lipliner Pencil in Soft Brown
OCC Liptar in Melange

Rusted Hearth Makeup Tutorial

2010-06-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

Sooooo. Yeah. Hi.
This is not a pokemon tutorial. I just really was in a rut, came up with this, liked it, and ran with it. I also got to use my NEW NARS Taj Mahal blush which I love love love sooo much.

Hurr chu go:

Products:

Brows:
88 Palette (brown)

Face:
Urban Decay De-Slick in a Tube
The Balm Time Balm Concealer in Medium
Some drugstore mineral powder that I no longer remember the brand/color/etc

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Flammable Paint
MAC Electric Coral Pigment
88 Palette
MAC Fig 1 Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever #92 Eyeshadow
NARS Albatross Blush
NARS Taj Mahal Blush
K-Palette 24/7 Tattoo Liner
Lancome Definicils Mascara

Cheeks:
NARS Albatross Blush
NARS Taj Mahal Blush
NARS Laguna Bronzer

Lips:
NYX Soft Brown lip pencil
MAC Freckletone Lipstick
Inglot Lip Gloss #11 Yogurt

Red Panda Face Painting

2010-05-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

On Youtube I was tagged by TheKillerBurrito to do a painting of an exotic animal. I picked the red panda, because I think most of the big cats (lions, cheetahs, leopards) are kind of overrated. Plus, red pandas are REALLY cute!

I mostly used Kryolan Aquacolors (don't remember the numbers), as well as the white and black Make Up For Ever Flash Colors.

(If you plan on doing this legit, make sure you cover you neck! I didn't, because I was going to wash it off right after anyways c: )

Misleading Video Thumbnails: A Dramatization

2010-04-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Ullo, all of makeup blog reading land! I have no excuse for my abscence, again. Well, I do have turning 18, preparing for college, and being loaded with school work excuse. hm.

Anyways. Tell me if this has happened to you:

You're surfing the Tubes of the You, and you come across some makeup tutorials/videos/slideshows. The thumbnail looks REALLY snazzy. General, I see something really vibrant, well blended, and all around beautiful. I am intrigued. So I click.

However, the ACTUAL makeup in the video is a whole different story. It's usually less vibrant; the bright neon acid green is actually some matte, chalky, pastel mess. And sometimes, it's even blended and applied TERRIBLY.

I have sometimes been guilty of abusing Photoshop the edit my pictures. However, I general try to keep it realistic looking as it is in real life as possible. I understand that sometimes, video cameras have the tendency to wash out colors. However, video cameras DEFINATELY do not change how well blended your shadow is. And people with HD cameras? Don't even try to act like your shadow is actually brighter IRL.

Here is a dramatization of how it usually goes down (click to enlarge):

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #039 Jigglypuff

2010-04-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Jigglypuff! Our favorite little singer. I always loved Jigglypuff as a form of comic relief on the show; it's little sharpie/microphone was just as iconic as the pink puffy ball of fluff. I think besides Pikachu, this was the most requested tutorial. And who can blame 'em; it's hard to resist something so cute and pink!

Face:
Benefit Dr. Feelgood
Revlon Color Stay Mineral Foundation in "060 Medium"
The Balm Time Balm Concealer in "Medium"

Brows:
88 Palette

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Kryolan Aquacolor in 03 (Light Pink)
88 Original Palette
Revlon Color Stay Mineral Foundation in "060 Medium" (brow highlight)
Heavenly Natural Beauty Mineral Pigment in "Fantasy" (used wet as a liner)
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

Cheeks:
NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Powder in "Pink Cheek Glow"

Lips:
Stila Lipglaze in "Pinkle Twinkle"

Stila Lip Glazes

2010-03-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

Long time no post, eh eh?
Yeah. I really have no excuse. Except laziness.
On an unrelated note, I was cleaning out my gargantuan picture folder on my computer, and have found a lot of unposted FOTDs and Makeup looks. Since they're so old though, I would have no idea what I used. But, if anyone wanted to see some, I could post them.

Anyways, today I went to Cosco with my family. They sometimes sell cosmetics there, and no suprise, they had a set of 8 mini Stila Lip Glazes for about $17. I don't know why, but I was compelled to buy them.

A normal sized lip glaze is 0.08 oz and $22 apiece. Each lip glaze in this set is 0.03 oz (a bit less than half) and about $2 apiece. Deal? I think so.

(Top to Bottom; Blackberry, Cranberry, Plum Fairy, and Candy)

(Top to Bottom; Kitten, Marmalade, Starfruit, Pinkle Twinkle)

All of the colors are very sheer. A few have no shimmer, while the rest have a very nice shimmer, with no obvious glitter chunks or gritty texture. They have little pigmentation, so if you're looking for a very pigmented gloss, I would not reccomend these. But for a nice, non-sticky, sheer wash of color, these are fantastic. Plus they smell absolutely gorgeous, each with their own distinct smell.

Swatches below:

Edit: I just realized that the SAME EXACT deal is sold at Sephora... for $25! Holy crap.

Sparkling Copper

2010-02-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

Whooooooey. Tutorial time. And it's not a pokemon tutorial! Though I have a lot to do. Off the top of my head; I've had a few requests for Jigglypuff, Rayquaza, Mightyeena, Growlithe... I'm probably missing more but those are just the ones I can remember. So honestly... I should not be fucking around with non-pokemon tutorials. Oh well.

Anyways, this is a look based on the one I did for New Years Eve; it's not exact, but it was a brown smokey eye using Reflects Copper (which I loooove so so so so much!)

Here is what I used:

Face:
Honestly, I do not remember, because this tutorial is soooo old.

Brows:
88 Palette

Eyes:
UDPP
MAC Cream Color Base in Antique Gold
MAC Eyeshadow in Tempting(Dupe is "Smog" from UD)
MAC Pigment in Copperbeam
88 Palette
Ben Nye Glitter Glue
MAC Reflects Copper Glitter
Lancome Definicils Mascara
K-Palette 24/7 Tattoo Liner

Cheeks:
Lancome Blush Subtil in Cedar Rose

Lips:
Mark Glow Baby Glow Hookup Lipgloss in Secret Secret

Horrible Fanfiction

2010-02-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

So yesterday two of my friends came over, and we were reading one of the worst fanfics of all time; My Immortal. So we thought it would be a good idea to write our own.

Only one chapter, but we hope to lengthen it. Here you go:

The Jonas Brothers Meet Edward Cullen

Chapter 1: Edward the vampire meets the jo-bros
“Hi, my name is Edwurd Cullen.” Said Edwuard culen to the joanas brothers. “I am a vampire, and I like your music. I like MCR and Hawthorne Heights and Slipknot and other goffick music to.” Edward was a vampire for as long as he had remember, he was biSt by Frank Sintatra (because he did many sins and was an aevil vampire too) when he was a kid too. He was kawaii ^_^ but he didn’t like being a vampire. He tried eating regular food but his toof hurt because vampires can only eat blood and not normal food because it hurts their tooths. “Oh hi, we’re the jonas brothers!” said the brothers happily, they didn’t know that Edward was a vampire because his teeth wheren’t sharp and ugly like those old vampires like Frankenstein and Nosfrtatu.

Old FOTD & blah & MAC Spring Colour Forecast

2010-01-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

So, before I go on to a regular post, I must say that... one of my IRL frinds is following my blog. Not that I mind, I don't really care, but it's kind of awkward considering he is a straight boy who is uninterested in makeup (which is what I usually talk about) and thus will find my posts really boring. Just saying.

With that said, I realize how vain and petty beauty blogging must be to someone totally uninterested in this. Like, my upcomming FOTD probably seems really vain. The thing is, I don't take pictures of myself to be like "ADMIRE ME, MOTHER TRUCKERS". To be honest, I could give a flying fruck about how I look like, but rather, if my makeup (note: MAKEUP, not me) looks hot.

Anyways, this is a FOTD from Saturday (super late, I know). It was really simple and pretty and I liked it. I'm not going to list everything I used, but I did use Natural Flare beauty powder loose on my cheeks, and wet it to use on my eyelids. Makes such a pretty wash of color <3 Then I put a matte chocolate brown in the crease, and a neutral matte color to blend it all out (both were from the 88 palette). The lips? Chapstick. Hahaha. For the blush, I did something different and used a mix of mostly Cosmic Violet Ben Nye Lumiere Eyeshadow, with a touch of MUFE #92 (and when I say touch, I really mean VERY little). It was sort of something different, but after buffing it out it looked less bruise-like, and a very nice plummy pink. Eyebrows were also the 88 palette, and my staple K-Palette Tattoo Liner, and Lancome Definicils Mascara.

Anywhooo I've been trying to be a good little girl and save for IMATS L.A. and Anime Expo but... uh... the upcomming MAC Spring Collection is making this REALLY difficult. Take a look see at my wish list:

1. Eyeshadow – Very Violet - $14.50
2. Eyeshadow – Lala - $14.50
3. Eyeshadow – Hot Hot Hot - $14.50
4. Crush Metal Pigments – Stacked 1! - $32.50
5. Eyeshadow Quad – Colour 3 - $36.00
6. Eyeshadow Quad – Colour 4 - $36.00
7. Lipstick – Fresh Salmon - $14.00
8. Lipstick – Victorian - $14.00
9. Lipstick – Bubblegum - $14.00
10. Lipglass – Kumquat - $14.00
11. Lipglass – Hush, Hush Rose - $14.00
12. Lipglass – Electric Fuchsia - $14.00
13. Blush Ombre – Ripe Peach - $25.00
__________________________________________
Total: $243

... I hate not having money. Hopefully some of the above mentioned items, when I see in person, will not tempt me as much and I can skip on them. But seriously, why is this collection SO HUGE? Does MAC not realize we're in an economic frickin' recession? Grr. Damn you MAC. Damn you.

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #118 Goldeen

2010-01-22T18:15:00.000-08:00

So I'm pretty happy with this look in general, however I do hate the fact that the brows wax I used had started to crack/shift -___- oh, and the fact that my eye started watering like CRAZYYYY. Luckily I cut the part out of my video where I blew my nose and talked about "snot fetishists who would buy me stuff in exchange for blowing my nose on camera". Ah. Anyways, Goldeen. Goldeen... I can't say I was ever a fan as a kid, and from a trainer standpoint, I still am not. But I do think it is an absolutely GORGEOUS pokemon, with so much potential. I love her fins.

Face:
Cosmedicine Medi-Matte Oil Control Lotion
Benefit Dr. Feelgood
Sheer Cover Mineral Foundation in "Golden"
The Balm Time Balm Concealer in "Medium"

Brows:
Covered with Ben Nye Nose and Scar Wax
fake ones drawn in wih K-Palette 24/7 Liner

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Kryolan Aquacolor in 288 (Orange), 070 (White), and 043 (Medium Brown)
Make Up For Ever Flash Color in 010 (Blanc/White)
88 Original Palette
Splash Eye Sparkle in "Avalanche" (Matte White) and "Island Sunset" (Matte Orange)
Ben Nye Grand Lumiere eyeshadow in "Tangerine"
NYX Glitter Cream Palette in "Eden"
24/7 Tattoo Liner
Lancome Definicils Mascara

Cheeks:
MAC Beauty Powder Loose in "Natural Flare"
NYX Blush in "Expresso"

Lips:
Make Up For Ever Flash Color in 010 (Blanc/White)
MAC Lipglass in "Sockhop"

And even though this is a bad quality webcam pic, I like this because you can see my Goldeen "horn" xD;

Serious Lash Lust

2010-01-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

The first time I ever gazed upon Shu Uemura lashes, I remember my remarks exactly. It wasn't a remark of wonder, of awe, or of utter lash lust, but rather, "Who the fuck would pay that much for lashes?!"

Of course, as I grow more into the beauty community (or become more insane, I think they basically are the same thing) for some reason the idea of paying about $30 for a pair of lashes isn't crazy and never happening, but rather, a goal.

What lashes? Specifically, these; Shu Uemura's Black Velvet Feather false lashes. I'm 99% these are the same lashes used in the Pixiwoo Deep Purple New Years Party Look , and if so, I've been in love ever since. I noticed in the comments of the video, people complain about the lashes killing the look, or the look being too dark, etc etc, but as a beauty afficianado (aka, insane person), I immediately thought, "Holy fuck, those are hot. Gimme"

My lust is overwhelming.

And to add fire to the flame, with their new Ègèrie collection (whatever the hell it is) they are releasing ANOTHER set of falsies that I, of course, had to fall in love with.

The Ègèrie black leather false eyelashes

READ THIS MATHAR FRAWKIN DESCRIPTION: "Thick black lashes with eyeliner made from faux snake pressed leather. Add of a hint of rock accessories for a wild and sexy look.

The 130th shu uemura Spring Mode Makeup Collection invites you to be an "Egerie:" a rebellious and daring spirit who never loses her sense of elegance and sophistication. The collection is inspired by the glamour of rock and roll. Flashy, glimmering shine is complemented with delicate satin sheen finishes to transport you under the spotlight of the captivating rock stage."

If you've seen the rest of the collection, everything is very light, pretty, and spring-like, especially the packaging. I think the fact that the lashes are so edgy and dark and different (the lash band is made of frickin' LEATHER) is such an amazingly beautiful contrast. Unfortunately, despite the cute packaging, nothing else really catches my eye... except for the lashes.

I am going to be so poor this year :(

**Edit: I also really like (but don't necessarily NEED) this pair of interesting two color lashes, these adorable rainbow individual lashes, and these gorgeous mink luxe lashes (both the brown and the black look lovely. Black seems more "sexy sultry" and the soft brown looks so unique). Sigh.

**Double Edit: Oh god. I just discovered these multicolored beauties. Please shoot me.

Nars Wish List

2010-01-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I like making lists. I really do. I'm kind of a freak that way. And I especially enjoy lists when they have to do with things I want (thought not necessarily things I can always have). But hey, I enjoy looking at them.

Anyways, this is a list of (most) of the NARS single and duo eyeshadows I want. All of the pics and swatches come via Temptalia's Blog. I really love it, and enjoy her swatches/opinions/FOTDs! Check it out!

Anyways, things I really, really, REALLY want and probably will not have for a VERY long time (unless I win the lottery), starting wit hthe single eyeshadows:

China Blue, Tropic (singles, not a duo)

Galapagos

Himalayas

Lulu

Mekong
\
Night Porter

Night Rider

Party Monster

Duos:

Bysance

Cleo

Habanera

Iceland

Kiliminjaro

Meditiranee

Sugarland

Surabaya

Wicked

I don't have swatch pictures from this, but these are three things I want from the upcoming Nars Spring collection, releasing on January 15.

The eyeshadow duo is "Kuala Lumpur" and is described as a rose-gold / boysenberry color. VERY pretty. And the nail polish, since it's purple, is obviously calling my name. It is called "Purple Rain" and described as gothic purple (whatever the hell that means...). And my favorite of all is the eyeliner; it's called "Bains Douches" (Bright sky blue, silver glitter-infused hue). I'm really childish and immature, so it's quite obvious why I like the name so much. And to be perfectly honest, I initially misread it as "Brains Douches". Oh lordy.

Attention! I Need Your Help!

2010-01-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, so for my English class my group and I are making a video, and we need people to be a "customer testimonial" of sort, giving their opinion on a (imaginary) movie they just watched.

The "movie" is based on the play, and shares the title "Titus Andronicus"
(pronounced Tie-Tuss Anne-Drawn-Ick-Us")
Basically, it's super gory and disgusting, with rape, beheadings, cannibalism, etc

(description: Titus Andronicus is a play with "14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 rape (or 2 or 3, depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity and 1 of cannibalism--an average of 5.2 atrocities per act, or one for every 97 lines." Reviewer Mike Gene Wallace adds, "This is a great play. We're talking fourteen dead bodies, kung-fu, sword-fu, spear-fu, dagger-fu, arrow-fu, pie-fu, animal screams on the soundtrack, heads roll, hands roll, tongues roll, nine and a half quarts of blood, and a record-breaking 94 on the vomit meter." Really, there's not much more to say; that is the essence of the play. Titus Andronicus is a non-stop potboiler catalog of abominations.)

WHAT WE NEED:

A short, VERY short, approx 10-50 seconds long (no more than a minute), "reaction" to the "movie", as if you just saw it and someone asked you what you thought of it.

The reaction needs to be either of disgust or awe, or something of the sort (like "OMG. THAT WAS SO GROSS.) Making it humorous is DEFINITELY a plus.

It can be anywhere. It can be a single person, or it can be a group. Doesn't matter

Please try to avoid cursing, as it is for school. "Damn", "hell" and "crap" are fine (we're a public school ;D ) but "shit" "bitch" and "fuck" ain't gonna fly.

I need it by Thursday 8 PM PST (11 EST), or ASAP. Because the project is due Friday morning, and I do editing on Thursday.

Please email the clips to:
kyuubified @ yahoo .com

Thank you so much :)
If you know anyone who could possibly contribute a clip, please pass this along!

Ultimate Haulage

2010-01-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I wrote ultimate, it's not very impressive.

Swatchess and video grr rawr.

I noticed Tempting and Smog look REALLY similar. Tempting is a bit lighter, and more golden tone. Also it's a bit grittier and chalkier than Smog; smog is more smooth.

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #359 Absol

2009-12-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

This is my first sort-of-kind-of-not-really-formal-request by a user. I was requested to do Absol. I'm actually fairly pleased how this came out, though I think I would try to make it more blue than gray next time.

Face:
Cosmedicine Medi-Matte Oil Control Lotion
Boots No7 Mattifying Mattifant Primer
Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in "Soft Beige"
The Balm Time Balm Concealer in "Medium"

Brows:
88 Palette

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Greasepaint Stick in "B"
MAC Eye Kohn in "Fascinating"
Ben Nye Grande Lumiere eyeshadow in "Cosmic Blue"
ELF eyeshadow quad in "Drama"
Splash Eye Sparkle in "Avalanche"
MAC eyeshadow in "Print"
MAC eyeshadow in "Graphology"
24/7 Tattoo Liner
Lancome Definicils Mascara

Cheeks:
MAC blush in "Fun & Games"

Lips:
Smashbox color inhancing lipgloss in "Candid"

Christmas... haul? o__o

2009-12-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

So, I contemplated doing a video on this, but I didn't want it to seem like I was bragging. Also, I wasn't in the mood to be talking, plus I am too lazy to put makeup on/dress nice for a video, etc. Lazyyyyy blog post.

Speaking about lazy, Do Not Refreeze tagged me with the "I Love Your Blog" tag (so flattered! :3 And I agree... I need to post more. Rofl), a maillion-bajillion years ago, and I have yet to thank her. I suck. So, THANK YOU :D I would tag 15 other people but uh... nah. Haha.

ANYWAYS. Uhm. This is what I got for Christmas, only two items are beauty related:

First, one of my brothers went to the Nintendo store in NYC and brought be back two pokemon plushies; mudkip and A GIANT PIPLUP. This excites me greatly, haha. He also bought be DJ Hero (ridiculous, right?!), but I didn't feel like taking a picture of it, haha.

Then, my other brother bought me a train case, which looks like this:

Opened:

What's funny is I didn't ask him for anything. In fact, I didn't ask either of my brothers for anything. Not only am I happy for the gifts (obviously) but it shows that they actually know me well enough/pay attention to me to know how to get me gifts I like, haha!

And inside the train case, to my surprise, I found:

The Urban Decay Show Pony Shadow Box! I was really surprised, I wasn't expecting anything inside! I can't say I really wanted it, but a gift is a gift, and I am grateful. Plus, of the six shades, I only own one (Smog, it's from the Wallpaper Shadow Box, which I own). Flash looks promising, maybe I'm biased because I'm a freak for purple.

All of my other gifts were just money, and my parent's gift to me is a new phone, which I SERIOUSLY need. I still own a Razr. It works well enough, but it's seriously a pain in the ass to text with. I take FOREVER. Plus, I want a phone I can use Twitter with. I'm a Twitter freak :P

All in all it was a good Christmas. I find it funny that of my two brothers, I got gifts exploring my two sides; my love for nerdy nerdom, and my love for beauty related gifts. I was going to add something introspective and profound, but all I can think about at the moment is how bad I want to play DJ Hero. Tootle-loo!

I Have a New Found Love

2009-11-29T14:10:00.000-08:00

WHAAOOOO! Two blog posts in one day! Redonkulous!

Anywho, I was looking at some of my old makeup that I haven't used in forever, (or in this case, used at all) and I remembered my little ol' container of Reflects Copper that I got from the MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics collection. I was in love with the texture; it was my first reflects glitter (and it will definitely NOT be my last), and I highly recommend them, even to glitter-phobes. Reflects glitters are so finely milled they seem more like pigments then actual glitter chunks. I'm not sure if they are eye safe, but I do believe MAC claims glitters are not eye safe only as to not get sued. Speaking of reflects glitters, I REALLY REALLY want Reflects Transparent Teal, Reflects Purple Duo, and Reflects Very Pink. GAHH! Actually, I want all of the Reflects glitters <3

So, anyways, I was wondering of ways I could possibly use Reflects Copper. I had already played around with it on the eyes, but what about the lips? It was a pretty versatile color; brown enough to be used on the eyes without making one look bloodshot, but not too brown as to look unnatural on the lips. The result?

A gorgeous gloss! I mixed the Reflects Copper with a not so pigmented gold Victoria's Secret gloss, and it came out lovely. I think this would be best with a lipstick or more pigmented lipgloss underneath, but seriously, wow! I need to wear this out <3

*P.S. I am not affiliated with MAC cosmetics (or any other companies I have mentioned on this blog or post). At all. I don't work for them. Because if I did, I would own a lot more of their products.

EOTN - Miss Violeta

2009-11-29T12:23:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't even consider this an Eye Of the Night because... I didn't wear it out. And I literally only did one eye. But I liked how it came out.

I got inspired by the newest tutorial from sayanythingbr00ke and xsparkage on Youtube. I really LOVE Romping e/s and its duochrome nature, and I think it is gorgeous paired with black.

I don't think I will do a tutorial on this, because I did a really similar look ALSO using Romping e/s, Rave pearlglide eyeliner, and MUFE #92 e/s. However, they look really different, considering this one is very pink, and the other was more dark and purple.

What I used:

- UDPP
- Make Up For Ever Flash Color in "Fuchsia" (On Lid and blended out past crease)
- MAC eyeshadow in "Romping" (Patted all over lid, and on the inner half of the lower lash line over "Rave")
- Heavenly Natural Mineral Pigment in "Nymph" (Outter corner)
- Make Up For Ever eyeshadow in "#92" (Outer corner and crease, and on the outer half of the lower lash line over "Rave")
- MAC eyeshadow in "Carbon" (crease)
- LA Splash eye sparkle in "Avalanche" (brow highlight and tear duct)
- MAC Eye Kohl in "Fascinating" (waterline)
- MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" (upper lash line)
- MAC Pearlglide Eyeliner in "Rave" (lower lash line)

Katamari Damacy Inspired Look

2009-11-20T20:32:00.001-08:00

I think it's fairly obvious I am a huge nerd. I go to conventions, I cosplay, I watch anime, I read manga and comics and graphic novels, and that's just to name a few. Another pastime I enjoy (though not as often as the others) is playing video games. I'm not the hugest video game buff, and my tastes are quite strange, which would explain why Katamari Damacy (or any of the spinoff games such as We Love Katamari and Me and My Katamari) is and will be one of my top five favorite games of all time.

I really like the colors and the general design of the game. Everything is simple, colorful, and down right trippy. I specifically got inspired by the main character, The Prince, and his outfit, which consists of a lime green tunic and violet tights. Not sure if I plan on doing more Katamari looks, but this was definately fun!

Face:
Medi-Matte Oil Control Lotion
Benefit Dr. Feelgood
Lancome Dual Finish powder in Matte Honey III
The Balm Time Balm in Medium

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Kryolan Aquacolor in 509 (Yellow) and UV Green
MAC Technakohl Liner in Colour Matters
NARS Rated R Duo
88 Original Palette
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline
MAC Fascinating Eye Kohl
Benefit Bad Gal Blue Mascara

Brows:
88 Original Palette

Cheeks:
Rimmel Natural Bronze in Sun Light

Lips:
Almay Intense Color Eyeliner in Purple/Amethyst
Kryolan Aquacolor in R27 mixed with NYX Round Lip Gloss in Doll Pink
NYX Round Lipgloss in Queen of Africa

Conflicting Feelings

2009-11-15T13:19:00.000-08:00

**So, while this is not an ordinary make up related post, this does pertain to makeup somehow. And it may get pretty text heavy.**

So, I know it's quite common nowadays for companies to repackage makeup. In fact, so many companies do it, and generally, I feel like I can keep up with finding out who is fake and who is full of well, bull shit.

However, I feel like I am losing more and more faith with the mineral makeup community, which is a shame. I know that one does not have to really dig deep to find out who is actually making their own products (thank god for Bloggers), but really, it seems more trouble than it's worth. I hate being a beauty snob, only buying from high end brands, but at this point in time, I almost feel like high end brands, brands that I have always had good results with, are the only ones I can trust.

I don't know about you, but I am not loaded with money. Not only that, but as I've mentioned multiple times throughout my posts, I don't work, nor do I own a credit card, thus it takes an arm and a leg to actually BUY something makeup related, let alone something online. So, needless to say I want my money's worth. I do not take being cheated out of my money with repackaged products or terrible customer service lightly.

Luckily I can say I haven't really been into the mineral makeup craze; I have only bought from one company, Heavenly Natural Beauty, and my results were more than satisfactory; the products arrived quickly, and with the package was a nice little note, nothing fancy, but it made it seem like whoever handled that package actually gave a damn about their customer.

I think that's what it all boils down to; the customer. I write this mostly because of the whole Lime Crime debacle. I don't know if it is new, but I did start my research today, and I can't help but be disappointed. I mean, I can't say I liked Doe Deere since I never knew her personally, but what I saw of her I liked, a lot, and I had hoped she was really, truly that happy, genuine person she seemed to be.

And I can't help but feel a bit betrayed.

I guess it's taught me to be a little less naive, but I still can't help but feel let down. I think I may have forgiven her, if she actually admitted to repackaging items, but the fact that she tries so hard to market this facade to her customers, AND so obviously does not care about them is really disappointing. It's really just a whole slew of hypocrisy.

And, for the icing on the cake, I came across this blog post:
http://frescophyrra.blogspot.com/2009/10/mineral-makeup-companies-that-make.html

Again, I have not purchased that much mineral makeup, but this is a little unsettling, because a few of these companies I have contemplated purchasing from.

Granted, I know I can't so easily believe this, considering that they do not mention if the "companies to avoid" actually make their own products. Also, though there are multiple times where someone has had a problem, one has to take into consideration the ratio terrible customer service experiences to those with satisfactory, if not great customer service experiences. Still, it does make me a bit wary of these brands.

All in all, sometimes I wonder if I should even try to buy mineral makeup or independent makeup lines. I really want to support them, but sometimes it just seems easier to buy some loose shadow from Sephora then spend $934 on a gram of a repackaged eyeshadow.

Face of.... Two Days Ago?

2009-11-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

Last week was terrible; I woke up early to do my face all nice so I could photograph it for my blog and actually have some nice FOTD or EOTDs... unfortunately, I don't wake up early enough, because by the time I'm done I have to rush out the door, without time to photograph. And photographing when I come back from school is not an option, unless I want to redo most of my face, because I'm a hot mess (generally) when I get home.

I did, however, manage to snap this little thing up. I got inspired by one of Pixiwoo's older tutorials, I forget which one, but she used a blue in the inner corner and a brown/charcoal/taupe smokey color for the rest. I've been using MAC Copperbeam pigment a lot lately, because it's such a gorgeous color. I'm not sure how close it is to Copperized, since I don't own it... I think Copperized is more yellow whereas Copperbeam is like if Herritage Rouge and Brown were to have a baby? That's the only way I can describe it; I love it. So I'm not calling it a FOTD or EOTD because it's not from today.

Not sure what I used on my face,

I know for the eyes I used the 88 palette, plus Copperbeam and the blue is Cosmic Blue by Ben Nye. And I'm fairly certain I used MAC Fun And Games blush on the cheeks and Sockhop lipglass. I have no idea what the rest is. Mleh.

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #004 Charmander

2009-11-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

WOO! Here is charmander, I think this may be one of my favorite so far, I think the matte oranges are very pretty, and very much fall inspired. Actually, this look is pretty wearable (sans the blue). Charmander I think, of the three starters, was the epitome of cool; it was quite obvious considering everyone just wanted him to evolve into Charizard, who, I think, was probably considered even more cool. I just thought the idea of having a cute little lizard friend that could make bonfires for you would be pretty rad.

Face:
Benefit Dr. Feelgood Face Primer
Boots No7 Mattifying Mattifant Primer
Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous (original)
The Balm Time Balm Concealer in Medium

Brows:
88 Palette

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Kryolan Aquacolor in 288 (Orange)
NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk
88 Original Palette
MAC Goldenrod Eyeshadow
Splash Eye Sparkle in Island Sunset
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Electric
24/7 Tattoo Liner
Lancome Definicils Mascara

Cheeks:
NYX Blush in Expresso

Lips:
MAC Lipglass in Sockhop

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #007 Squirtle

2009-10-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

The third video in my pokemon series; squirtle! I think squirtle is a cutie patootie. Even though bulbasaur used to be my favorite, I always chose squirtle as my starter when playing blue version. Don't ask why. Plus I loved him on Pokemon; the squirtle squad was absolutely hilarious.

Face:
- Boots No7 Mattifying Mattifant Makeup Base
- Benefit Dr. Feelgood
- The Balm Time Balm Concealer in Medium
- Physician's Formula Magic Mosaic Multi-Colored Custome Face Powder in Beige/Warm Beige

Brows:
- Browns from the 88 palette

Eyes:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Sephora Mini Eyeliner pencil in 074
- Make Up Forever Flash Color in 000 Turquoise
- 88 Original Palette
- Almay One Coat Nourishing Mascara
- 24 Hr Tattoo Liner

Cheeks:
- MAC Fun and Games Blush

Lips:
- Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss Sheer Color in Candid

As usual, pics can be enlarged if clicked on.

Style Black and Dsquared Lovin'

2009-10-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Soooooo
major haulage up in hurrr

Picked up stuff from Style Black and Dsquared as the title implies

I think I should address this, considering I am a "younger" beauty aficionado (YTer and Blogger sound too... official), but seriously, my parents DO NOT buy makeup for me on a whim. I seriously have to give up an arm, a leg, and then some if I want to buy a drugstore lipstick, let alone a huge haul from MAC. I am just tired of the misconception that younger makeup collectors are spoiled brats who get whatever they want. I'm sure there are tons who get their mommy or daddy to shell out cash and buy them whatever they want, but that is not the case for me. For one, I pretty much have to prove myself with getting good grades and doing chores and whatnot, not to mention I pay for most of my stuff myself; this time I just took out a "loan" (lol) by borrowing money from my mom and promising to pay her back when I get Xmas money. And even that I had to freakin' beg and plead. So I'm just saying, most of my makeup purchases are either out of my own pocket or because I had to do something to "earn" it.

Anyways, enough of that. I'm not going to post swatch pics because honestly, they are EVERYWHERE over the internet; Specktra, Temptalia, Makeup and Beauty blog... just to name a few.

I picked up three of the greasepaint sticks in "V" "B" and "Black", two of the mineralized eyeshadows in "Blue Flame" and "Young Punk", "Feline" eye kohl, and "Blackfire" glimmerglass. I also got two samples from the MUA artist there, Studio Moisture tint in "medium dark" and prep and prime skin. It was actually quite funny, the girl recognized me. I suppose its because I'm young, buy a shxt load everytime I stop there, and it's always crazy/bright things (like the last time I went there, I walked out with Colour Matters technakohl liner, a bright green, morange lipstick, and copper reflects glitter! I'm crazzzyyyy). But yeah, that was pretty cool. And my mother, being the stereotypical Asian woman she is (I love you mom, but do not deny this fact), asked "could there possibly be any discount/freebie/gift we could get? -wink wink grin-". Which is how I got my free samples. God, I have never been prouder.

I am more than happy with all of my purchases. Actually, I love almost everything. Even the stuff I am not head over heels about, I like A LOT. I am positively apeshit over the greasepaint sticks! OMG. I figure with the word "Grease" and my oily lids, this would not be a match made in heaven. Wrong. Once they dry/set, they stay there. Granted I still have to apply UDPP (like with everything else), but still. They don't crease like the MUFE flash colors. And the colors are amazing. I don't know which one I like the best, I love all three!

The mineralize eyeshadows are to die for. At first I didn't think I would like them too much, but I do. They're actually suprisingly sheer if you don't apply a base, so they blend out rather well. I don't care if they are black and glittery- I will wear them to school anyways! "Young Punk", like I think I saw someone mention before, is what I wanted "Beauty Marked" to be like- but it's even better than that.

Feline eye kohl; I get the hype. I thought to myself; how black could it really be? The answer; very. It is the darkest black liner i have ever seen. To be honest I don't think I will get much use out of it other than waterline or tightlining, because I don't use black pencil liners on my lash line (I am, and will always be, a black liquid liner girl), but it's still amazing to one.

Blackfire glimmerglass; homg. On it's own, I am not to crazy about it. It's a nice alternative to clear gloss, because it makes your natural lip color darker (which is nice for people with naturally pigmented lips), but the glitters kind of settle into lines if your lips are dry, and makes them appear dryer, despite the fact you have gloss on. But over lipstick, magic happens.

My favorite combo so far with Blackfire is layering it over NYX lipstick in "Euclyptus", which is a hot pink with slight purple reflects. It's kind of similar to MAC show orchid lipstick. It's already a pretty color, but with blackfire over it, it turns a sultry, almost plummy color with GORGEOUS purple gitters. To. Die. For.

Long text post. I know it's boring without pictures. but I didn't feel like posting any because, TBH, my cam sucks, and swatches are so easy to find anyways.

Meh

2009-10-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

So, I know I generally post makeup related shennanigans, or at least happy, fun things here but this time, this post isn't exactly happy. In fact, it's quite far from it.

Normally I'm uncomfortable posting really intense, deep feelings of mine for all to see. I mean, I'm torn; part of me wants to share with someone this stupid feeling of mine and hope that maybe, just maybe, they will feel the same way. Yet at the same time, having anyone read this and think "God, what a whiny little snot!" or something along the lines of that is absolutely mortifying. But I'm going to do it. I am going to take the plunge.

I am really torn. I think it's fairly obvious I am a social hermit. But it doesn't stop there. I am TERRIBLE at interacting with people. I don't know why. I mean, my parents are fairly outgoing people. I don't know what went wrong, or how, but I won't get into the psychology behind that. Sometimes in a way, I feel almost mildly autistic. I know I am not, by far, because I know generally how to gage other emotions, but sometimes I seem to be a bit lacking in that department. Like I remember there was this one test we took in psychology (for fun) that was given to test if you could read other's emotions. I failed for the most part.

So lets just say I am not really confident in my ability to see other's emotions. Thats why I have so many few female friends. Because, lets be honest, the majority of females rarely show their true feelings, its all hidden. For someone who is emotionally-stupid (i.e.,me), reading REGULAR emotions is hard enough, so trying to read someone who obscures their emotions is even worse.

But all that aside, my main problem is having close relationships with people. I mean, ok, I've met a lot of awesome people through the internet, that I never would have conversed with IRL if it wasn't for BlogTV, Youtube, Twitter, Blogger, AIM,etc. And I'm glad; I wouldn't change a thing. And while I know how to be nice and "normal" and behave in a (generally) culturally acceptable way, I don't know how to do anything further, like gain close relationships.

I guess I don't believe in myself. I don't know if by saying something I'll be too pushy, or too distant. I can't really gage in between. I mean, I've seen some radical examples of fanatical people, or just people not "liked" by the internet community, and I am deathly afraid I will be like one of those people and don't realize it. So in my fear, I stay away.

I don't expect people to treat me like we're BFFs. It's not their obligation. I'm not complaining like "OMG THEY DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO ME". It's not that at all. I kind of wish I could become closer with some people (as creepy as it sounds) but I really don't know how to go there. Ive tried just letting time pass,for I figure "you dont MAKE friendships, it kind of just happens". But I don't know. I just... meh.

I realize this is really incredibly shallow and stupid but I sometimes feel like I'm impeding on some thing that really I am not appart of, but worst of all, that I'm screwing up. Sometimes it's just easier to stay away.

I guess what I'm just trying to say is sometimes I feel like I should stay away but I can't. Like I don't know if this is REALLY how it is, and that I really am being a nuisance to everyone, or if it's just my stupid insecurities. And I'm afraid to ask anyone, because people tend to pad the truth "Oh not at all!" even if it is a blatant lie, or ... if I ask they'll think I'm some creepy possesive stalker person. I'm not.

Sorry this post was so... negative.

I try not to pour my problems on to other people but I just had to vent.
I may delete this eventually. IDK.

92 Asphyxiations at the Romping Rave

2009-09-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm on a roll! Filmed this tutorial yesterday, and edited today. I think nonspoken tutorials are easier to film & edit for me, because I tend to talk ON and ON and it makes the vid too long. And boring. So idk if I want to continue with silent+music tutorials or spoken tutorials. And narrated tutorials are not an option, I think I would sound ridiculous.

Face:
Boots No7 Mattifying Mattifant
Benefit Dr. Feelgood
Rimmel Stay Matter Foundation in 200 Soft Beige
The Balm Time Balm concealer in Medium
Laura Mercier Loose Powder in Translucent

Cheeks:
Mary Kay blush in Gold Canyon

Brows:
Lancome eyeshadow in Noix

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Pearlglide Eyeliner in Rave
MAC eyeshadow in Romping
Make Up Forever eyeshadow in #92
MAC eyeshadow in Graphology
MAC eyeshadow in Blanc Type
MAC Eye Kohl in Fascinating
Urban Decay eyeshadow in Asphyxia
24 hr Tattoo Liner
Lancome Definicils Mascara

Lips:
Lancome lipstick in Bisque

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #001 Bulbasaur

2009-09-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

So, new pokemon video up! This time it's Bulbasaur. When I was a kid, bulbasaur used to be my favorite pokemon, though I'm not entirely sure why. I guess the idea of a plant dinosaur (who, I might add, looked very cute) that could possibly be my friend was really exciting. And it could use vine whip. Boo yah. Not too entirely happy with this tutorial, I think it's kind of messy and rushed, but whatever. It's not THAT terrible... I think

Face:
- Boots No7 Mattifying Mattifant Makeup Base
- Benefit Dr. Feelgood
- The Balm Time Balm Concealer in Medium
- Rimmel Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation in Soft Beige
- Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent
- Wet N Wild Kohl Eyeliner in White (to outline markings)
- Mix of Kryolan Aquacolors in 193 (Teal) and 512 (Green)
- 88 Original Palette; Mix of Dark Green (L4,D8) and Blue (L5,D8)
- 24 Hr Tattoo Liner (trace markings)

Brows:
- Estee Lauder Artist’s Eye Pencil in Soft Smudge Brown

Eyes:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Mix of Kryolan Aquacolors in 193 (Teal) and 091 (Cornflower Blue)
- Kryolan Aquacolor in 083 (Dark Red)
- 88 Original Palette; Dark Red (L9,D8) on top of bottom lash line
- 88 Original Palette; Mix of Teal (L4,D5) and Sky Blue (L6,D5) on Lid
- 88 Original Palette; Mix of Dark Green (L4,D8) and Blue (L5,D8) in Crease
- 88 Original Palette; Light Blue (L6, D2) on Brow Bone
- Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Electric (on inner lash line and waterline)
- Benefit Badgal Blue Mascara
- 24 Hr Tattoo Liner

Cheeks:
- Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Light

Lips:
- NYX Goddess of the Night lipgloss in Smokey Look

As usual, pics can be enlarged if clicked on.

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #025 Pikachu

2009-09-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

When one thinks of Pokemon, one imediately thinks of Pikachu, so I figure it was pretty much necessary to do a tutorial on him first (despite the fact Pikachu is not my favorite pokemon... I personally think he's a bit overrated). This is actually a re-do; my first Pikachu tutorial was only on Youtube for about a day before I deleted it. It was horribly rushed and messy, plus it was too long to fit into 10 minutes. This one is much better, and I put more effort into it.

Face:
- Benefit Dr. Feelgood
- Physician’s Formula Magic Mosaic Multicolored Custom Face Powder in Beige/Warm Beige
- The Balm Time Balm concealer in medium

Cheeks:
- LA Splash Eye Sparkle in Island Sunset

Brows:
- 88 Original Palette; 10th column from left, mix of 2nd and 4th down.

Eyes:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Kryolan Aquacolor in 509 (Yellow)
- Kryolan Aquacolor in 070 (White)
- 88 Original Palette; 2nd Column from Left, 2nd Down
- MAC Goldenrod e/s
- 88 Original Palette; 10th column from left, 5th down.
- 88 Original Palette; 1st column from left, 1st one
- 24 Hr Tattoo Liner
- Lancôme Définicils in Black/Noir
- LA Splash Eye Sparkle in Avalanche

Lips:
- NYX Lipliner in Soft Brown
- MAC Lipstick in Freckle-tone

New Tutorial Series!

2009-09-19T19:34:00.001-07:00

I probably should have posted this when I made the video, but it completely slipped my mind. [headdesk].
I think it's pretty self explanatory. My love of all things nerdy and cute, plus make up? Pretty much equals me, a very happy camper.

I need to think of more interesting ways to say "Haul" in the title

2009-09-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

Er yeah. Like the title says, I like to think of interesting ways to say "haul" instead of just being blatant. Because I try to be a clever motherfucker. But I'm not at the moment. So, if you have any idears, I would like to hear them (I have used Haulage, "They See Me Haulin', They Hatin'", and the like beforehand). Er, yeah anyways.

Yesterday I went to the mall and bought quite a few things. First of all, I went to MAC to FINALLY check out the Makeup Art Cosmetics collection. I had already seen the promo pictures and swatches and whatnot, so I knew what to expect for the most part. I wasn't too impressed with the quads or any of the lip or cheek things. The single eyeshadows were mediocre, and the ones that interested me I had dupes for. I was interested in 3 eyeliners and one of the pigments. The pigment I wanted to see, Push The Edge, was out of stock. Plus, I think I have a dupe for it. So I looked to the liners; Colour Matters (bright green), Obviously Orange (coral-orange), and I forget the name of the last one, the one that looks like romping but in liner form. I wasn't too impressed with Obviously Orange, because personally I found it was a bit too light and frosty for my skin tone, and the hot pink one was also sold out. Boo. I also decided to pick up Reflects Copper on a whim, because I heard such great things about it.

Since I had some left over money (two gift cards together totaling in at about $55) I decided to pick up something that I have always wanted from the permanent line; Morange lipstick. I saw a few girls rocking orange lipstick recently and I thought it looked really hot, so why not try it? And I'm so glad I did. It's gorgeous, and my new favorite bold lipcolor. Much more unique than hot pink.

Anyways, Lancome was having a deal; spend about $30 and get a cute carying case, minis of their Bi-Facial make up remover, Absolue Premium cream, Genifique youth activating concentrate, and Definicil mascara, PLUS a full size lipstick (two choices) and either a blush or mini shadow quad. And to boot, if you spend $50, you get three extra full size lipsticks FOR FREE! It was a great deal, so my mom bought a Lancome Dual finish powder (I didn't take pictures or swatch it), and I bought a full size of Definicils mascara, because I love it soo much. Now on to the goodies!

Cute bag! Choice of it in either red, blue, or black.

Tada!

We chose the blush duo instead of the eyeshadow quad; Top is "Cedar Rose", bottom is "Aplum"

The lippies

L-R; Provacative, Sugared Maple, Edgy, and Ooh La La!

I'm sure you're tired of my rambling. HERE are the swatches. Enjoy :]

Oh hi there, China Glaze

2009-09-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

So I've been a bit... MIA... when it comes to Blogging. Not that I am a very constant Blogger, I am very lazy. But anyways, Swapmeet again! And you know what that means!

...No, you don't?
NAILPOLISH.
This time none of the OPI colors I saw were very appealing, but what did grab me were the Chinaglaze colors. Which is why I ended up buying 8 nailpolishes.
5 for $5, and 3 for $9. So 8 for $14 isn't bad!

I am so excited to paint my nails, eee!

Left to right: Recycle, Shower Together, Tree Hugger, and Don't be a Square

L-R: Let's Do it in 3-D, In the Limelight, Orange Knockout, and On the Prowl

Tagged! o:

2009-08-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by the lovely and gorgeous Do Not Refreeze. This is my first ever tag! Huzzah! I don't tag anyone though because not enough people read/follow my blog... so, whoever wants to do it, I guess :D

1. First of all go to your 'Pictures' folder (I'm pretty sure you all know where it is) then simply click your first album of pictures.

2. Count down your photos to your lucky 10th number. But it must be a picture that hasn’t been tampered with or named and you can’t pick one you've already posted on blogger.

3. Lastly post your wonderful picture and tell us all the amazing story that goes with it. Sounds fun ay! Oh and don't forget to tag 5 more people when your done!

So basically... this picture is of my two aunts and one of my aunt's husband (the one on the left is his wife). The two aunts are my mom's sisters. Uh... this was at a restaurant (a rather shitty one I may add) for my 17th Birthday, and I don't know... this picture is just amusing to me, because it shows how freain NOSY my whole family is. But I say this in the nicest, most endearing way possible! I love my family <3 (fyi, I have a shitload of aunts and uncles. My mom has NINE brothers and sisters!!! Same with my dad, he has 8 brothers and sisters I think).

Electric Surfin' Coral; FOTD + Tutorial

2009-08-06T04:06:00.001-07:00

Wooo, I'm on a roll!
It's 4 A.M. and I just uploaded a video, hahaha. Click the pictures to enlarge.

Face:
- Cosmedicine Medi Matte Oil Control Lotion
- Benefit Doctor Feelgood (Primer)
- Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer in “Golden Beige”
- Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in “Silky Beige”

Eyes:
- UDPP
- Kryolan Aquacolor in “UV Pink”
- Kryolan Aquacolor in “509” (Yellow)
- Make Up Forever Flash Color in “Gold 004”
- Ben Nye Grand Lumiere e/s in “Iced Gold”
- MAC Pigment in “Electric Coral”
- 88 Matte Palette
- MAC e/s in “Fig 1”
- MAC e/s in "Blanc Type"
- Lancome e/s in "Noix" (brows)
- Almay Amazing I-Liner in Black
- Benefit Badgal Blue

Lips:
- NYX Lipliner in “Rose”
- Urban Decay Lipstick in “Love Child”
- MAC l/g in “Sock Hop”

Cheeks:
- Mary Kay Blush in “Gold Canyon” (Bronzey Orange Side)
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in “Refined”

Swatches of Collective Haul (better late than never)

2009-08-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

So I'm a horrible person who forgets to post swatches. Swatches are not my favorite thing in the world to do, but I figure I should be a good person and do it (since I love LOOKING at swatches). I'm not going to bother saying which I got where and when, but these are a result of three hauls from the Cosmetics Company Shop, Sephora, and MAC Pro. Enjoy! (Click to enlarge)Everything except the lip glosses and flammable paint swatched on MUFE flash color in white.

Left column on flash color, from top to bottom is: NARS Rated R Duo (Lime Green + Blue), NARS Misfit Duo (Beige + Emerald), MAC Electric Coral Pigment on the Left part of the column, MAC Mega Rich Pigment next to it on the right, and MAC Goldenrod eyeshadow on the bottom.

On the right is MAC Flammable paint, MAC Sock Hop l/g (peachy coral color), and MAC Style Minx on the far right (magenta pink).

On the right bottom are the two colors from the Hungry Heart blush duo by NARS.

And here is a picture of 3D Silver Glitter from MAC, since I can't really swatch it..

Tutorial!!!

2009-08-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

I keep neglecting Blogger, but I'm so excited.
Anyways, I made my first ever video tutorial! I didn't like it very much, since it was very simple and the lighting blew, so I made another today, and I'm VERY pleased with it! What I used and video below!

Face:
- Tinted Moisturizer (custom mixed)
- Boots No7 Mattifying Matifiant Primer
- Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer
- Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Silky Beige

Eyes:
- UDPP
- Kryolan Aquacolor in R27 (purple)
- NARS Single Eyeshadow in Strada
- Loreal HIP Bright Shadow Duo in Flare (light side)
- MAC eyeshadow in Graphology
- Heavenly Natural Beauty eyeshadow in "Rare Beauty"
- MAC eyeshadow in Blanc Type
- Almazy Amazing I-Liner in Black
- Lancome Definicil Mascara

Cheeks:
- MAC Fun & Games Blush (Hello Kitty)

Lips:
- MAC lipglass in Sock Hop (Heatherette)

Swatch Request + Anime Expo + Haulage!

2009-07-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this weekend was probably one of the best weekends of my summer so far (well, it wasn't really a weekend, more like Thursday - Saturday, but whatever). But first, lets get some things out of the way first.

I was asked by Miss Freeze of Do Not Refreeze to swatch my MAC Old Gold Pigment,so here it is. I don't think the photographs do it justice, just like most Duo Chromes; it's a sort of light tan-gold with a gold-green duo chrome. I don't think it shows the green very well in the photograph :c Also, ignore the other weird lip liner/marker stains on my hand xD;;

Anywho, on to the next thing. I went to Anime Expo! Yes, I realize I am a nerd. Yes, I realize that it's weird. But what I do realize is gosh darnit, it was fun and I am excited for next year! The convention was from Thursday July 2 - Sunday July 5. I bought a pass for all four days but I was way too exhausted to also go on Sunday so I merely went Thursday-Saturday. It was SOO much fun, and yes, I did cosplay (as a Caterpie/Metapod on Friday, more on that later). I'd go into more detail about the con but I think I will save that for another post.

ANYWHO. I bought very many things. Sadly, a large chunk of my money went to food (I DID NOT want to bring food with me, since I wasn't staying in a hotel it would be too much of a hassle to carry around) so I had to buy the majority of my food. I've learned my lesson; con food is expensive as hell and there was a shop just half a block away that sold MUCH cheaper stuff. Lesson learned. ANYWAYS, here is all the stuff I bought, because even though hauls are like bragging, I'm just way too excited NOT to share! Also if anyone is curious, I can try to provide links to some of the seller's websites (I have some of them); in no particular order:

The Catbus from Totoro!!! I love Totoro, it is one of my first "animes" (I watched it when I was a little girl, about four or five), and my dream is to ride in a Catbus. And it still is. But since I highly doubt that will ever happen this is the second best thing.

Next, this was my spazz moment of the con. If you are not familiar with Pandect by Dina Situ (it's an online webmanga, read it, it's free! But warning; there is A LOT of boy love. Not yaoi necessarily, more like Shounen Ai. It's PG-13 for the most part) then you must school yourself. Nao. She didn't come to last year's AX but she did this year, so me and my friend SPAZZED like no other, and immediately ran over there, most likely creeping her out. She was set up in Artist's Alley, so my friend and I bought a Noah and Edgar plushie, since it was buy two for $25 (it was cheaper than buying them individually). She kept the Noah and I kept the Edgar plush, and I also bought a Teddy pin. Edgar and Teddy are two of my favorite characters (I also love Noah, but I think Edgar is cuter in animal form) so I was super stoked to get them. Loooove Pandect, you must read it!

Any who, onto my next purchase. It was also from artist alley, and these two adorable girls were selling equally adorable things. I bought a pink bunny scarf from them (LOVELY!) and they also gave me a free sticker of my choice; I chose a pikachu because I love me some pokemon ;D

They also gave me this really adorable bag with a panda and their contact info:

Last thing from artists alley, I must say, I died from. It was a plethora of cute and I could not contain myself. I. HAD. TO. BUY. This seller (who, by the way, was dressed incredibly cute in a lolita style, not sure the subgenre, I think sweet lolita?) had the most cutest accessories so I bought a necklace and ring. Again, both priced fairly well at under $10. I have her card somewhere, so if you want a link to their website I can provide it.

Next, though it wasn't necessarily anime related, I thought they were sooo pretty. This seller (whose name I forget) sold these really pretty handmade accessories, such as earrings, ear ornaments (you wrap them around your ear, no piercings needed!) and my favorite, hair clips! I bought two feathered ones, and I wore the clip/extension one immediately after buying; another great thing they were both well priced (both were under $10, but the more elaborate "clip" one versus the dangle-y feathers was more expensive)

Back:

Next, I bought a Visal Kei style "surgeon" style mask/mouth cover. I know it's a weird purchase, but I wanted one last year and kicked myself for not picking one up. It looks very cool on, and I love the zipper ;D

Last but not least I bought a hat from Fetish Falls. Its' an aviator hat (didn't come with googles, but I already owned some). I really like their stands, most of their stuff is well priced and I think the people are really friendly. I'm just going to show the picture of it from their website:
(goggles not included)
Anyways that's about it, I might post more about the convention itself later, I'm quite tired now.

I Am A Neglectful Soul!

2009-06-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

**WARNING: The following post may contain pictures with some mild-medium fake gore (it's all Special Effects Make Up); if you posses a weak stomach, you're squeamish, or you are eating/just have eaten, I advise from reading this post. Kthnx.**

Alright, so being the procrastinator I am, I didn't realize till Thursday night that Kim (aka SuicideBLondEx on Youtube)'s contest was ending on Friday night. Of course, it was too late to film (I HATE artificial lighting) so I had to wait the following day. Meanwhile, I brainstormed. I knew for sure my look was going to be based somewhat on the Blood Brothers; the imagery in their lyrics awes me, and I just think the unique image of their band would be something awesome to create. I just wasn't sure if I wanted to do it based on a video, an album cover (Crimes is my favorite album cover of theirs) or a song. I finally decided on "Set Fire to the Face on Fire" which is a song on the album, Young Machetes. Video of the song below.

I guess it was a weird choice, personally I don't think it is one of their most "eloquent" songs when it came to imagery (I was kind of pushing towards "Rats and Rats and Rats for Candy" or "Peacock Skeleton With Crooked Feathers" or even "Burn Piano Island, Burn"), but something about it just grabbed me. Plus, I just love the beginning of the song (I often find myself saying "Fire, fire, fire!" and no one knowing what the hell I am talking about).

Originally I though, oh, take it literally, a flame eye. But no, me being the tricky, over the top mofo that I am, I decided "hey, that's boring. If you're taking it literally, take it MORE literally. You do have this liter of liquid latex just SITTING HERE gathering dust!"

So yeah. I don't feel like typing more. I also was being a sneaky little but and tried to be funny. Initially for the video I was just going to be like "here is mah face .__. " but after that I decided to pretend to get into an "accident", and then, remembering a Ms. jpmetz's accident, decided to pay homage to that :]
Pics && video below

I Love Swap Meets

2009-05-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

I love swap meets. Forever and ever. Everything there is dirt cheap- all you need is a good eye to weed out fakes and low-quality (a knack at bargaining helps, too). Some might protest "well, that's everything there!". I would have to disagree; I have often found many proverbial "diamonds in the rough", at low prices too.

I usually stay away from make up products at swap meets; usually they are either low quality, used (gross!), fakes, or just not worth the price considering you can have the security of buying a real one for just a few bucks more. I'm sure there are instances where you can find good deals, but it is rare. For instance, some lady today tried to sell me fake MAC. She was like "Oh, we've got some stuff from the Hello Kitty collection!" when I was browsing. I knew it was fake as soon as I saw it; there were no lip palettes or all this other crap in the collection she was trying to sell as "MAC". I know it's quite common on the internet, but I didn't know they tried to do this at swap meets. I wish I could have taken a picture, they were laughably fake.

Anywho, on to the good stuff. Nail polish is one of the few things I buy from swap meets, mostly because even if they are fake, I'm more willing to put something on my nails versus on my face or near my eyes. Still, it's pretty obvious to weed out the fakes from the real things.

From the first seller I bought two OPI n/p, from the Designer Series "Royal", a translucent purple with blue reflects. It's really great, but I wish it was more opaque (I put it on my toes over a crappy fuchsia one from Icing). I also bought a base coat, because the one I have is starting to dry out. They were both on $2.

From the next seller, I bought FOUR. He gave us a deal; 4 for ten dollars. Originally it was two for five, but he said if we bought 4, he would include a free one from a different brand. I gave one to my aunt, this red color (she wanted it), and I don't have a picture or the name. The other three were "Give Me A Coral Sometime", a pretty orange coral color with pink reflects. Also I have "Who Needs a Prince", which is a milky white opal with a pale pink duochrome- it's pretty much MAC's Pink Opal pigment in nail polish form! I love it. The last, and one of my faves is "Goldilocks Rocks!" a sheer orangey golden, super sparkly/glittery nail polish. I put it over Victoria's Secret nail laquer in "Cocktail", which made this gorgeous orange coral with tons of glitter!

Anyways, the last stall I bought three Rimmel Nail Polishes, since they were only a dollar each. I got "Sunny Side" a pinkier, lighter coral than OPI's "Give Me a Coral Sometimes" and has subtle golden reflects, instead of pink (can you tell I love me some corals?). I also got Meringue, a milky off-white with subtle golden pink sparkle. Lastly, I got Dazzle, a sheer, old gold color.

What I'm wearing:

Toes: Icing Nail polish in "Grapetini"
with OPI "DS Royal" over it

Fingers: Victoria's Secret nail lacquer in "Cocktail" with OPI's "Goldilocks Rocks!" over it

To Tutorial or Not to Tutorial?

2009-04-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've written this in an earlier post, but oh well, I'll do it again.

I've always contemplated if I should do make up tutorials on Youtube. But it seems like everyone and their mother has a Youtube now; I think it takes an exceptional amount of skill, originality, personality, and well, even just plain luck to really be an accomplished Make Up Guru on Youtube. Still, part of me wants to do it. So here is a list, a personal list, of the Pros and Cons of posting video tutorials.

Cons (first, because, you know, I am a raging pessimist):
- I'm really shy. Like, very very very shy. I don't think my personality comes off well on camera.
- I don't like the way I look. Which I know, every woman/man has that little, eensy self-conscious voice in their head, but are still relatively comfortable. That's not me, of course. Which brings me to my next one;
- I'm not sure if I'd be able to take the haters on Youtube. I mean, I wouldn't start crying every time someone says I suck or something, but still. Bleh.
- Skill. I'm paranoid I'm not skilled enough. I see some gurus and I think I am about the same level (if not better), but still, it's not only skill. You have to have an interesting personality, and make it a joy to watch you. I don't know if I'll be able to do that.
- Money! I don't own as many cosmetics as some Youtube gurus (but I do own enough, I think), and I don't go on a bajillion hauls. Though I think this is the least important factor
- My camera. It sucks. I don't think it takes as High Quality pictures as I would want it to. And don't even get me started on my webcam.
- My age. I think there is only one guru (who will not be named) that is my age. I am seventeen. Will people take a seventeen year old seriously?

Now, on to the pros!

Pros:
- I think I have pretty original ideas. I try to stay away from the norm, and I actually have a list compiled of possible looks/video ideas.
- I know I'm not the worst at make up, haha. I know that doesn't sound very optimistic, but I don't want to come off as conceited and say "Oh, I think I'm a lot better than some make up gurus on Youtube", but, I guess I will. I think I'm better than a lot of them (of course, this is not to say I think I am better than ALL of them. Hell, there are some that so surpass the level I am at I am in pure awe of their skill).
- I have an art background. I think this goes hand in hand with the two previous pros; this background has pretty much been my saving grace. That is why Kryolan Aquacolors have been so easy to use for me; they are nothing compared to trying to control how much water you use in a watercolor painting. Not to mention the color wheel. Color wheel, schmotherwheel; been there, done that.
- I know this is going to sound really self centered, but this is an outlet for me. I really have no one to share my make up looks with. On Flickr sometimes, but I don't really have a group of friends, let alone acquaintances from the make up community. All of my friends are not interested in make up, or not to the near point of obsession (or euphemistically, dedication) that I am.
- I think I have an interesting personality, and hopefully, one that is enjoying to watch over the internet (at least, after I get over the initial shyness).

I can't think of anymore, but that's it. I think I will start putting FOTDS and EOTDS up here, as opposed to only on Flickr. And maybe, if I compile enough looks, I can make a make up looks sideshow? Because I've noticed, that is usually the first step before making actual tutorials, and it makes sense. It's like testing the waters before jumping in; if people actually express they want to see your tutorials, then, make them. If no one does then, well, you get the hint.

I Finally Got the 88 Palettes!

2009-04-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

So, initially this was disastrous. Yesterday I was checking my mail (I didn't have time during the weekend) only to discover, to my dismay, that my 88 palettes from Starsmakeuphaven had arrived (supposedly) at my house on Friday. Uhm, yeah, I checked all day; no package in sight! I thought that there was either some sort of mistake, or someone stole my package, but I wasn't overly worried, because luckily I paid for insurance on my package, and it would be replaced. My brother, who works at UPS, and obviously is more knowledgeable about package delivery (is it just me or does that sound mildly perverse?) and told me to wait till Monday.
And I did. And I'm glad that I did because they are here! They are just as pigmented and gorgeous as everyone says they are, I am very impressed. I do not refer to mine as the "CS palettes" only because I didn't buy them there. The reason? One, Starsmakeuphaven ships from Ohio, while Coastal Scents ships from Florida. I live all the way at the end of the West Coast, so obviously Ohio is a shorter distance, and thus, shipping is much cheaper (I think it was three dollars without insurance versus seven dollars). Also, the palettes are about a few bucks cheaper. It doesn't seem that much when you think about it, but put it together and I saved about six dollars, which I used to be able to buy insurance for my package as well as some little sitck on magnets for my MAC palette. Huzzah!

Oh No

2009-04-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

I really have not posted in this awhile. I'm just a lazy person by nature, and I honestly started this thing, not for other people, but for me. Anyways, I guess I should post things of interest.

I've been hauling like a fiend. If I made a collective haul from the time of my last post well... that would be a lot of make up. Or not, I'll try to remember.

Sephora was having a Benefit promotional thing, buy at least 1 Benefit item and spend over $50, get a free gift. And since Dr. Feelgood is my absolutely favorite primer and necessity (both me AND my mom use it) I figured, why not? I was pleasantly surprised when I got my order; it was said to come in a make up bag, and I was expecting a dinky little thing. It was quite the opposite; it's made a black shimmery and green plastic, with a handle (very lunchbox-esque!) and even has little insert things (I apologize for my lack of verbal finesse, it's early) for putting in brushes, etc. Also included was Rush Hour (a berry colored lip and cheek color), BADgal Blue mascara, and California Kissin' gloss. I'm not super crazy about the products in general, but I like them enough. I already own California Kissin', it's pretty much this very sheer blue shimmer infused lip gloss. It's okay, but I don't think it's worth the money. BADgal blue isn't as blue as one would expect, which is a good or bad thing depending on what side of the "I love bright make up" spectrum you lay on; the mascara itself is decent, it lengthens and separates my lashes pretty decently, and is surprisingly non clumpy, but it can get a bit flaky and dry quickly. Of the three free products, I liked rush hour the best; put on lips sheer, it's a nice pink-berry lipstick, but the more you add on the more dramatic it gets. I also like it as a cheek color. This gift also comes with a shower cap, but it's too cute, so I haven't used it yet!

I also got a few MAC products, because for my birthday (I forgot to mention that! My birthday was on April 11. I am seventeen now, huzzah!) I got a Macy's gift card. This of course, doesn't mean only MAC make up, but Benefit, Prescriptives, Lancome, Estee Lauder, Chanel, Dior, Clinique, Shisheido, and other make up brands! I'm wondering what else to buy, I hear Dior has good products, but I've also been wanting a Chanel lip gloss (I only own one, a gift from my cousin. I absolutely love it). Anyways, I picked up Refined MSF from the Sugarsweet collection, it's my first MSF! I wanted to pick up Petticoat and So Ceylon before, but I didn't have money at the time, so I never did. Boo; I just hope they get re-released! I also got Fig 1 eyeshadow, which I am TOTALLY in love and impressed for. I don't own that many matte shades, which I am trying to add more to my collection (I hate the stereotype/look of the high school girl with a face full of glitter/shimmer). I heard Vintageortacky rave about it, and she was absolutely right. The texture is AMAZING, non chalky at all, and it's so pigmented, I am so stoked. I always play around with make up as soon as I get it, but I made about three looks using Fig 1 yesterday! Lastly, I bought Amber Russe Lipgelee, from the recommendation of one of the M/A there. At first, I was a bit iffy; it looked like a color i have already own. But applying it, I have to say I own nothing like it. Also, one of the main reasons she recommended it was because I tried on one of the Dazzleglasses, and hated the stickiness (which I hate; I really loved the glittery aspect of them). Either way, the Lipgelee has a nice, non-sticky texture, and the color is so hard to describe... kind of like a rose, silvery shimmer? Oh well, but I love it; it's very natural looking. Lastly, I got one more MAC product, but surprisingly, I did not get it from MAC, nor did I get it from the CCO or online. So where did I get it? COSCO! I was really surprised and found both Bronze and Antiqued Gold CCB at Cosco, but I only picked up Antiqued Gold. They were only $7, which is about less than half of them at full price!

I also ordered from Urban Decay, because of the friends and family sale. I picked up the two eyeliner sets (V.I.P. and Velvet Rope). I never have owned colored eyeliner pencils before, and I've heard good things about the 24/7 eye pencils. So far so good, I really like them (yesterday I layered Covet, the green pencil, over a black liquid liner and made a cat eye, it was such a deep, gorgeous green color!). I also got Lovechild lipstick, and a free sample of Sellout lipstick. I love both! I am also trying to cut back on frost/shimmer lip colors, and both are creme formulations. Lovechild is this pale pink which I love to death, it's very retro; I own nothing like it; I love how you can build up the color with it. Sellout is this amazing neutral color, and I'd recommend it for ANYONE who is a bit iffy on trying lipstick; it smells great and applies very sheer; I'm pretty sure it also suits all skin tones.

I think I also picked up some NYX lip glosses in Smokey Look, Very Clear (which I giggled at, as what, opposed to mildly clear?), Soap Opera Queen (which is a slightly brighter pink dupe for Smashbox's Electric lip gloss), and Strawberry.

OH. One last thing; my mom bought some stuff from Lancome, and they gave her a free gift. She doesn't use them so she gave them to me, I got two lipsticks in Luxe (a sort of bronzey copper color) and The New Pink (a shimmery, kind of bright pink). I also got a mascara, make up remover, and a mini eyeshadow quad that came with Latte (a matte taupe), Waif (a matte off white/ light tan), The New Black (a metallic, shimmery black that reminds me of Black Tied), and Mannequin ( a shimmering deep brown). I think this is a pretty versatile palette, easily transitioning from day to night. It also comes with a giant mirror, which is handy for those on the go.

Haul and Rant

2009-02-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

This week(s) has been interesting. I really haven't had an "okay" day this whole week. It's either been really intensely crappy, or amazing. Sometimes, both.

The week so far has been horrible. Just, unbearable, for example, I found out my Creative Writing class in school is being cut due to budget. What the hell! It was, and is, my favorite class in highschool, nay, school in general, ever. Hands down. I love that class to death. Also some various other things, that just have made me felt crappy.

However, my weekend was redeemed! I went to Las Vegas, which in itself is pretty fun, even for me. I always thought that Vegas is difficult for those in my age group; when you're a kid, almost anything entertains you, and obviously anyone 21+ is going to love it. However, those in the middle of said categories (i.e., me!) are usually bored out of their minds. I enjoyed it though. I went to Bellagio's buffet (called, The Buffet, believe it or not). AMAZING. Most buffets are quantity, not quality, but not THE Buffet. I can say that every single food item that went into my mouth or onto my plate was top notch delicious. I must have gained about five pounds eating there, though (they have sugar free deserts which tasted amazing, by the way; made my diabetic little self very pleased).

ALSO. The best part. I went to the MAC store for the Hello Kitty collection (haha) and OH MY LORDIE. I had no idea that the MAC Store in Caesar's Palace Forum Shops was actually a PRO store! To say I was a kid in a candy store was an understatement. Even my parents noticed how giddy I was; I was absolutely ecstatic.

I'm sure you can relate to my excitement only to an extent, but let me elaborate:

-I am underage, and I cannot drive. Thus I do not have a job, or transportation. Money is tight, and I have to spend VERY wisely.

-My parents do not approve of how much money I spend on make up. Or the amount of make up I have. Thus asking them to drive me to the PRO store in SoCal (which is about a 20-30 minute drive from where I live) is out of the question!

-I thought I would have to wait years just to ever set foot in a PRO store. But I did not have to. Dear god, I am excited now and I am home already!

It was the best surprise of my life. The only bad thing about it is, like I mentioned before, due to the fact I rarely have spending money, I plan my purchases carefully, you have no idea. Like I will make a list, then edit the list about fifty times before actually going to the store and making my purchase. I weigh what I want to buy, how much it is, what else I want to buy, as well as if it is similar to what I have; I hardly ever make impulse buys. Which is why I was not prepared to be going to a PRO store with PRO-only products!

I'm not going to post pictures of swatches (okay, maybe later...) but I ended up leaving with; HK e/s palettes in Lucky Tom and Too Dolly, Fun and Games BPB, Tinted Lip Conditioner in Popster, Lipstick in Strayin, and Glitter Eye liner in Girl Groove. I also bought Black Black pigment, Bright Fuchsia Pigment, 3D Silver Glitter, and Glitterpuss glitter eye liner. I ended up returning Bright Fuchsia and 3D Silver because I had something similar or I did not think I would use it. I planned on exchanging Glitterpuss because there was no brush at the end of the wand! Just a plastic hunk (has that ever happened to you before?!) but I just ended up returning it. I returned them the next day, and ended up buying Pink Opal Pigment, Old Gold Pigment, Suntan Gloss, and an empty palette. So worth it! I only owned 4 Mac Products before, and I added 11 more! I nearly tripled my MAC collection!

However, the happiness stops there. Afterwards I came home and everything went to (pardon my French) shit. I have a project due tommorow; no one contributed what they promised, and my partner did not realize that we are preseting TOMMOROW. So now I have to scramble to get things done, and quite frankly, I am pissed. Plus, I'm on my period. Great.

HUGE Repost; Cruel and Unusual Punishment

2009-02-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

So I made the jump from Wordpress to blogger... mostly because I like blogger better, and it's far easier to use for me. So all those posts are way old, since I only had a few entries in my other blog. Hm... so, I really have neglected my blog(s) for awhile, I told myself I wasn't going to do that... oh well.
Also, I am severely lacking in the make up department. You have no idea. I don't want to sound like a typical whiny teenager (though I pretty much am, in a sense), my mom has taken punishment to new extremes (due to a not-so-satisfactory report card). What is this punishment you ask? She pretty much took my make up. Not all of it, which I actually consider pretty generous, but most of it, about half. I think mainly my eye shdows and whatnot. She's not SO strict that she took everything; she atleast left me my face stuff so I wouldn't look dead or hideous. Plus I have all of my lip products, and a few liners, mascaras, and other assorted things. The only eye shadows I have are neutral colors, and a few colorful Claire's "not as shitty as I expected" palette, but I miss my Ben Nye and Kryolan and Urban Decay and Make Up Forever palettes ever so terribly. I never realized how much I would miss them. I'll post pictures of what I have maybe later. In a way, it's good; it's forced me to use shadows I hardly ever use, and focus on technique and precision versus color. When my grades are brought up (the next report comes in a few weeks, and I've been doing good in school so I BETTER get my make up back!) I will have my make up back. So, geez, is that a motivator or what?

Tempeh, Tofu, and Petay; Foods of Ultimate Deliciousness

2009-02-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

Before I explain the title of this post, I guess I should briefly discuss my herritage. My father is Hispanic (Mexican), but born here in the United States, and for the most part, not as knowing of the Mexican culture as others, though he can speak Spanish. On the whole other side of the spectrum is my mother. She's Chinese, but was born and raised in Indonesia (which is quite common, actually. About 20% of Indonesia's population are Chinese, the other 79% are Native Indonesians, while the other 1% are other). Her mother, my Grandmother, still held onto her Chinese heritage (fyi, I don't know what part of China they are from, but they don't speak Cantonese or Mandarin. They speak Hokian), while my mother also recieved some of the Indonesian culture (she is also trilingual; she knows Indonesian, Hokian, English, and knows a bit of Cantonese, which is amazing. You wouldn't be able to tell, her English is very good, the best of all of my relatives on her side!). Because of this, I have a fairly culturally diverse background, taking from not 2 very different cultures, but four, including the American culture.

Anyways, one of the things I've been taught since I was a little kid was to be open minded when it came to food. Food is pretty much the doorway to other cultures. I never realized how different I was in that aspect than other kids; while they became picky and only ate PB&J or Macaroni and Cheese, I was chomping down on Masago Sushi, Pig Kidneys, Fish Heads, and Tongue. And amazingly enough, I enjoyed them all. My mom never had to force me or my brother's to eat, ever since we were little she established that this is what we had to eat. I find it greatly impacted my eating habits now, which I am greatful for. For example, the other day I walked into the kitchen hungrily and found a container of god knows what. It was orange, thick, looked like carrot sticks but had the consistency of a slug. Chopped green onions were sprinkled on top. Other kids, at this would elicit an "Ew!" response. I, on the other hand? Grabbed a fork, took one of them and chomped it. I found it greatly amusing because I have the "What is it? I better eat to find out" mentality, as opposed to a cautious one. And I'm glad I did, because it turned out it was some sort of noodle dish, very spicy and fairly tame, considering what my family has eaten before.

Anyways, enough rambing. Yesterday was New Years and my mom made an elaborate, Idonesian dinner. Sticks of chicken Satay (kabobs) with peanut sauce, a spicy fried potato and shrimp and "petai" (pronounced like pate, though the "a" is pronounced like a softer "e") they look like this (FYI, they are called Stinky Beans, and for good reason too! I find it's one of those things that you either love it or hate it with a passion):

as well as cornish hens simmered in tumeric and other spices then deep friend, and my favorite, Tempeh and tofu cooked the same as the chicken. In the last couple of years tempeh has grown in popularity, mainly with vegetarians. I find it amusing because many people are trying to cook it in these extravagant ways, while I remember them cooked in my childhood in such simpler ways; either deep fried (tempeh goreng) and eaten with rice and ketchap manis (sweet soy sauce) or with green beans, shrimp, and petai (stinky beans). Yesterday though, before frying, my mom simmered them in tumeric and other spices, turning them this yellow color and giving them a delicious smell and taste. Of my whole family, everyone loves or at least likes tempeh, except for my dad! It looks like this before uncut:

Most people don't like tempeh, or they eat it to get protein, as a meat substitution. I'm not a vegetarian, but I just love eating tofu and tempeh because I like the taste.

Movies, and Make Up That Suprises You

2009-02-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

I said this wouldn't be a make up blog, but so far I've been mostly talking about cosmetic or beauty related things. So, I will FINALLY talk about non-cosmetic based things. First of all, last night I watched one of the most amazing movies in awhile. It's called 'The Fall", and just so many things about it is amazing. First of all, it's a visual orgasm. I watched it in Blu Ray, but still, just... wow. WOW. They traveled to so many places to film it. Plus, I love all of the actors' performances and the characters. In the plot (I won't give away too much) basically, a little girl is getting a story told to her, and because you see the "story" from her imagination, some things are a little silly (for example, it is set back in the early 1900's, and in one part he says the man is an "Indian". Because she is foreign, she thinks it's an Indian from India, versus a Native American, which is what he really reffers to. Also, they characters in the story get saved by an swimming "elephant" in which you see an actual African/Asian elephant, when really he is reffering to a manatee) and the characters in the story are all portrayed by people she knows in real life. The little girl in the story is so endearing and adorable, it's ridiculous. It will make you laugh AND cry. It's just so amazing, you need to see it.

Anyways, here's a make up related thinga-majigger. Do you ever have make up products that totally surprise you? Either you expect it to be really crappy, but it turns out way better than you imagined? Or you expect it to blow you away, and it sucks? I've had an experience like that; a long while ago, I went to the store "Claires". Now, I know that about 99% of the products there suck, but sometimes they have cute, decently priced things. They had a sale on

"cosmetics", buy one get another item 50% off. And I spotted the most glorious thing; a huge stack of different glitters!

I am a glitter fiend, so immediately I got a "oooh!" response. I had to buy it. But I figure, hey, why not buy something else? So I tried to find something that may be worth buying, but the only other thing they had were (Crappy) nail polishes and some "make up" palettes. I know what makeup from stores like these are like, because I (unfortunately) used to buy them when I was still a very little girl. Talcy, no pigmentation whatsoever, full of glitter chunks, etc. But they were the cheapest thing, and for some reason, I wanted to mock this palette, to show "HAH I have risen above you level! I now play with the big dog make up brands!" so, insanely, I purchased this palette (it had the lid on when I bought it):

[gallery]

So I got home and pretty much abandoned it. No swatching, no playing, no mocking. That glitter stack was pretty much the apple of my eye for a while. Finally, about a week later, I remember the palette. So, removing the plastic wrapper, I opened it, waiting to be amused. But to my surprise... The shadows were pigmented! Some of them, not so much, but others (namely the greens and blues) were pigmented! Even more so than my shitty NYX shadows! The texture was quite silky as well. I was flabergasted. What, how?! Perhaps teeny boppers were starting to get more make up savvy and Claire's stepped up their game? Or maybe it was just an incredibly rare find. Whatever it was, it made me keep the palette. I don't use it much to this day, but it never ceases to amaze me. (FYI I forget the prices of both, but I know they were in the $5-$8 range).

Heavenly Natural Beauty Haul

2009-02-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

Ahhh! My Heavenly Natural Beauty Haul arrived! Yay! Luckily I swatched and took pictures of them this afternoon, when the lighting was fairly decent. I got a total of 12 colors, for about $60 total (free shipping). I forgot when I ordered, but I think it took only three days or so to come. The area was pretty close, they ship from New Mexico, and I live in California, so no wonder! And now, with no further ado here are the swatches and pictures (FYI all swatches are without a base).

I didn’t label them because I put them basically in the same order in all three pictures, so you can see for yourself. I really like these. There was a little bit of fall out when I swatched these, but it’s a given with mineral make up, not to mention that the area I swatched then (underside of arm) is dry and doesn’t have as much oil as say, your eye lid, and thus the mineral pigments had nothing to stick too. The colors are vibrant, but a few don’t look as they did on the site. I am a little disappointed with the “Emo” pigment/liner (Props with the funny name though); I really wanted a matte black loose shadow! However it isn’t very pigmented, more charcoal than black. It’s still a nice color, though. Oh, and as I mentioned in the previous post, there is a duochrome in the bunch; “Earth Child” is a pretty taupe/tan brown with a gorgeous green duochrome shimmer! Of all the colors, Emo, Hypnotic, Deep Ocean, Nymph, and Rare Beauty were matte, the rest ranged from light shimmer to very shimmery. And I am very, incredibly pleased with Diva, can’t wait to use it in a look! It’s incredibly pigmented; I barely used any shadow at all with the swatches, and they turned out pretty vibrant. The price is amazing as well, so I would check them out if I were you!

Duochrome Madness

2009-02-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

Hello. My name is Denise. And I'm addicted to Duo-Chromes. I don't know what about them makes them so appealing. So versatile, gorgeous... I suppose it's my obsession with color. I like to squeeze it anywhere possible. So the idea of squeezing two (possibly three; I do in fact own Trio-Chrome eye shadow and nail polishes!) colors into one? AMAZING. Plus, putting them over different bases (specifically dark bases like black) really transforms them. I love them, period. So today's post will be me talking about duo-chromes (And, here's a little tidbit; chrome is not named after the finish chrome, like the metal finish, but short for chromatic; color. And duo is obvious; two. So it means two color, basically. And thus a Trio, or Tri Chrome would be a three color e/s or nailpolish!).

First, nails. I neglect my nails, and my hands are gross. I still bite my nails, but it's even worse than most people, mainly because I don't limit the biting to only my nails; it's also to the skin around my nails. As a result my hands are often dry and gross, and I'm embarrassed of them. However, my love of color overpowers my shame so, it results in my nails being painted prettily. I haven't painted my nails in a long time, so I was wondering what to use. I have a whole collection of duochrome and trichrome nail polishes, because they were only $1.00 at Rhinomart. They're all by Rimmel, and the picture does them no justice:

Out of all my nail polishes, these four, hands down, are my favorite (and maybe Purple Passion from Milani, but it's too sheer!). The picture does them no justice, so I'll describe them in greater detail;

Pulsating: A hot fuschia with violet duochrome. When put over a black base (as I did) the violet stands out more; it reminds me of "Stars and Rockets" MAC e/s or Cosmic Violet from Ben Nye or Fishnet from Urban Decay in nailpolish form, except way more intense.

Fusion: A silver/blue/lavender TRI chrome. I haven't tried it over a black base, but I assume the blue and violet stand out more. Gorgeous.

Radical: Probably the most "subtle" of the trichromes. It's the most strangest, gorgeous, interesting color ever. I don't wear it over a black base because it's amazing on it's own. It has tan, gold, and violet in it! Looks different in different lighting. I think this one is probably my all time favorite.

Mania: Probably the most vibrant of the bunch. It's reminds me of the sea; it's a really intense cobalt blue with sea green and lime green and gold flecks. Also a Tri-Chrome. Over a black base, it looks like a blackened green with lime/gold shimmer.

I'm not sure if these colors are discontinued, but if they aren't, pick them up! They're amazing.

Anyways, the nail's I'm wearing now are "Pulsating" over a black base. Picture here:

See? Nasty hands. Haha.

Anyways, now onto lips. I just purchased a Smashbox gloss duochrome, but I already have pictures, and I only have a few. The only other one I have (and can think of at the moment) is "Queen of Africa" from NYX. It's a not-so obvious duochrome, it's kind of like a violet-orchid color. I don't really like purple on my lips, so I pair it with this pale pink lipstick from Avon called Pink Fantasie. Alone, I don't like these two products, but together they're amazing! And for an added duochrome effect, I add some Vellum e/s from MAC over it. I seriously love putting Vellum over my lipglosses; it makes them so pretty, not to mention tones down the glossiness, which sometimes I appreciate (because I don't want to look like I drooled all over myself). Pics here:

And I wasn't going to add this, but, eye shadow. I own only four duochromes, Vellum e/s from MAC and Label Whore e/s from Too Faced, and my two favorite from Physician's formula, both DISCONTINUED. They even had a duochrome liquid liner, but it dried up and I threw it away (it was this pretty sparkling black/blue/violet color). Anyways, here are the two colors;

Again, the pictures do these e/s no justice, so here's another description;

Metal Sun: A gold/orange/rusty pink duochrome. Sometimes, it even looks violet. My favorite of the two.

Electric Green: A green/turquoise/blue-violet color. I like it, but in certain lighting the green look's moldy, so I don't use it as much as Metal Sun.

Anyways, hope you enjoy DuoChrome and the ever so rare TriChrome cosmetic products. I think I may have a few more from Heavenly Natural Beauty, yay!

P.S. If you know any good duochrome or trichrome eye shadows, nail polishes, or lip glosses/sticks, let me know!

Hauling Results in Happy Wallets

2009-02-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

So... you know how I said I would save my money? Well... I didn't. BUT I HAVE A JUSTIFIABLE REASON. The order I placed yesterday from Heavenly Natural Beauty was free- well, for me. My brother paid for it, "A late Christmas Gift". WOW. What a nice guy huh? Sixty bucks FOR FREE. If that wasn't enough I went to the Ontario Mills mall today, and decided "Hey, why not splurge a little?"

A little too much splurging, unfortunately. My "haul" only consisted of 5 items (beauty related). The rest were clothes and shoes, but I'm probably not going to discuss them in detail because, well, it's kind of boring. Anyways, first, I went to this place called "Planet Beauty". I've been wanting to buy Tweezerman tweezers for ages, and they never have them at the local Sephoras. I opted not to buy one online, and just bought it there. It was a plain stainless steel one, $20 (I wanted a colored one, but the only colored ones they had were pointed...). I also saw some very pretty Smashbox glosses for $18 each. Every time I purchase make up, I've always been a "more focus on the eyes" kinda gal, mainly because you can play with color more so there than your lips or cheeks (you can't have blue or purple or green lips!). So as my "New Years Resolution" I plan on buying more lip and cheek products. Which is what I did. A few of the glosses caught my eye. I decided on two of them. But then, hey, why not three? Of course, in my mind I thought of the costs separately (Oh it's just $18!) but together plus tax; the four items were $80. At the cash register, this is my (mental) reaction: "HOLY F$()@*#)*@*(%$#CK!!!!!!". Of course, on the outside, I kept my composure and a placid smile.

Even though it was a lot of money, I'm glad I bought them, I do not regret my purchases whatsoever. After weeks (I began to look like a Yeti) of lazy Winter-break-lack-of-tweezing, I set these Tweezers to work. Part of me wishes I took a "before" and "after picture" (because seriously, I was plucking so fast I swore there was smoke coming out of those tweezers!), goddamn my brows were hairy. But they're nice and tidy and plucked now. I keep admiring them in the mirror, because I'm a freak.

I also really like my glosses, I was kind of worried I would have colors similar to them, but luckily I don't. Even those that seem like they might seem similar, the formula and texture made all the difference. Anyways, the three glosses were in (btw, I'm taking all the color descriptions from the lovely Sephora) Candid (a sheer pink-rose with gold shimmer), Flash (a slightly more opaque shimmering golden coral), and Electric (a fuchsia pink with blue-toned shimmer). Of the three, Flash was the most opaque, Electric was slightly less opaque, and Candid was very sheer. FYI Electric SO does not look like the Sephora online picture. You need to fix that Sephora! Also, I found this kind of weird, all of the brushes were the typical felt tip (is that what you called them?) applicators, except for Candid which uses a brush. Hmmm. Wonder why? I don't really have a favorite, but if I had to pick, I think it may be Electric. Mainly because I'm a big fan of the fuchsia/magenta/hot pink lip gloss, not to mention the pretty blue shimmer. And you know what that means; whiter looking teeth! That's always a huge plus. Anyways, enough of my yapping; swatches here:

(different lighting)

(different lighting, and why did I type "Electro" instead of Electric?! Haha sorry, I'm weird that way.)

Now to see them on my lips, hehehe:

Sorry about my lighting, the colors don't look as vibrant as they do in real life. But I'm too lazy to try and retake pictures with better lighting, haha.

Anyways, the rest is pretty much boring (more boring?) from here on out. Victoria's Secret was having it's semi-annual sale, which to me equals cheap beauty products. Of course, I didn't have much money left after the lip glosses and tweezers... so I only bought one thing. Not to mention there weren't many things left there, a lot of nail polishes, a few lip glosses, and some body powders. I don't really use body powders and their lip glosses looked kind of "ew", so I picked out my favorite nail polish shade. I don't have a color like this; it's called "Cocktail". It looks different in different lighting. It's sort of a pink-y, coral, fluorescent orange shade with very subtle gold shimmers. It kind of reminds me of "Vegas Volt" lipstick from MAC in nail polish form, except with little shimmers in it. The nail polish was only $2.88 with tax!!! I had four I originally wanted to buy, I wish I atleast bought two (there was this mauve-pink with purple and blue shimmer in it- wahhh! So pretty) Anyways, swatches here:

(different lighting)

On my fingers (excuse my gross fingers, Winter is a bitch. Also, yes, I AM inadvertently flipping you off!)

Anyways that is all. To tired to talk about clothes that I bought, however I must quickly gush about my shoes. I got these suede mocasin-flat type shoes with cute ribbon detailing, and the lining is with some sort of faux-fur. They're really comfortable (and we're fairly cheap, just $19.99!). I also got some ecosneaks from Simple! I've been wanting these for a long time, and for awhile I thought I could only buy them online. Basically they're really cool; made out of recycled material and hemp. I don't see the style I have on the website anymore, but basically if you're curious they're in the style called "Satire", but the light blue with a small orange band trim style I own (trust me, it's cuter in person) isn't there. Oh well. I like them, but I kind of like the other styles online better. I wanted this one:

But -sigh- you can't always get what you want. Heh.

Groan I am such a NERD

2009-02-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

Why do things like these make me giggle like a mad man?

Geez. I blame my parents. And Harry Potter. Damnit.

Tell me if you get this. Otherwise, it's official; I'm insane. And I lack a sense of humor.

Kyuub Cravings

2009-02-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

Is an obsession still considered an obsession when one knows he or she is obsessed? Either way, I am fully aware I have a more than healthy fascination with collecting, using, and just anything pertaining to makeup. Recently for Christmas I've received not one, but TWO things I have been coveting FOREVER. What are they? The Ben Nye Grand Lumiere Palette and the Kryolan 24 Aquacolor Palette:

Yes, I am aware that the site I bought them from (Bubba Sikes) sells clown make up, which probably is a normal's person's representation of how I apply my makeup. However, it's the cheapest place on the net that sell these two palettes, and it's so worth my dad making fun of my "clown make up".

I know it's pretty late. People have been gushing about these two products/ brands for awhile now. I thought that because of how great everyone said it was, I would be pleased, but not amazed. How wrong I was. You know you're a makeup addict when you spend about ten minutes playing with your palette, admiring every little pot without even touching a single color. I'm a freak. Sorry.

I've been telling myself that to cut down on my avid makeup buying; I'd ONLY buy large palettes, and thus cut down on the need for me to buy other stuff. My only other huge buy were to be the two humongous 88 color palettes from Coastalscents. But I cave. I horribly, awfully caved. Damn Christmas, the majority of my relatives gave me money, because I really don't specify what I want (considering most are on the internet, and my relatives don't really believe in internet shopping). I told myself I would save it (mainly I'm saving it for the Hello Kitty MAC release in February. Think I can keep my money that long? We'll see), but NOO. I just had to see the most amazingly, gorgeous, vibrant, candy colored FOTD/Tutorial EVER (I'll put a link to it if you want). It featured this brand called Heavenly Natural Beauty. I swore, I drooled all over my keyboard. Now, there are a lot of "Mineral Make Up" sites out there, and I can usually force myself not to buy anything. Why did I cave this time?

I guess I should explain. I'm a sucker for purple. I'd like to say I do not discarnate against color (accept the nasty ones that look like they would be the product of bodily secretions); I equally love my reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples. Roy G. Biv is my best friend. But I have a soft spot for purple. Or should I say, violet. I love me some violet. And I don't know about you, but BRIGHT AS FUCK violet colors are hard to fine. Of the supposed "bright" violet colors I've tried (Urban Decay's Ransom and Ben Nye's Amethyst) just have left me with a yearn, a challenge, "Is this the brightest purple? Or am I destined for a life with below-average purples?" (FYI, I have tried all the purples I've encountered with just about every base/cream shadow/ etc known) BUT OH. OH HO HO. No more yearn. For I saw the most gorgeous purple ever. I nearly imploded from sheer amazement. Heavenly Natural Beauty makes a color called "Diva". I wanted to cry; it was the most glorious purple I have ever SEEN. I know there were a few purples I have yet to try (Make Up Forever's 92 and assorted gorgeous purple shades from Lime Crime), but I was afraid of more disappointment. I had already seen this blessed color in action; and I wanted it.

And it all just snowballed from there. Then I told myself "Whoah whoah whoah! Only $4.99?! Well, I can't just buy ONE..." then it went to "OH. Free shipping over $50?! Well, I might as well..." and then finally "Bah, what's a few more gonna hurt?". The total was about $60 for 12, TWELVE eye dust/shadows/etc. That's a lot! And they give you a lot! I say it's worth it. But besides spending my various MAC or Sephora gift cards, I will nix the make up buying. Sigh.

But that Dame Edna collection does have some gorgeous lipglasses... (I'm looking at you, Possum Nose Pink!)

I'll swatch my Heavenly Natural Beauty "haul" (hehehe, I thought I'd never hear myself say that!) when I receive it, for it seems there aren't that many swatches on it. Hoorahhh!

An Introduction, of Sorts

2009-02-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

So, I suppose this is an introduction.

I'm not very good at introductions. I'd just like to throw that out there. I usual portray myself far worse or greater than what I am. So, I'm going to say to disregard this whole post. Actually, maybe this post shouldn't even exist. But then, if the same rule applies, will my second post also not portray me correctly? What if it's a domino effect; perhaps none of my posts will ever portray me correctly. Let's just stick with that. Anyways, where was I?

Instead of talking about me, I'll try to talk about what I plan to do with this blog... thing. I'm pretty much going to talk about what I like. And think, obviously. Mostly it will be focused on positives (things I like). I'll try not to talk about life that much, because quite honestly my life is more boring and monotonous than Sisyphus (see sophomore English teacher, an allusion! Aren't you proud?). Oh, and before I get. I curse. Quite frequently. I'm sure it's not very lady-like, and my mother would have a heart attack if she were to see how much I cursed, but what you don't know won't hurt you, right? Anyways, what do I like, and what do I plan to talk about? Here's the basic list (may be updated or changed in the future... who knows?):

Make-up. Yes, I have succumbed to my want for a "make up blog". Except, I won't call it a make-up blog, mainly because I ramble too much to talk solely on make up, not to mention I don't know if I'm particularly interesting or different enough to actually deserve a make-up blog. And I'm going to stop using hyphens when I type makeup or make up because I think it takes too much time even though it looks better that way. Also, I'm severely poor. I lack monetary funds to buy loads and loads of deliciously glorious make up to swatch and review for any one who wants to know. My makeup collection, while large for the average person, is utterly MINISCULE compared to most accomplished makeup aficionados (and I probably spelt that wrong).

Bodily ornaments. Aka, clothing, accessories, etc. Now, let me explain. I am no way a professional or know what the hell I am doing. I probably can't tell you what would look good on your body/skin type. I can't dress you. Hell, I can barely dress myself. When I discuss this, it will most likely be in an adoring fashion (pun INTENDED).

Crafty little tidbits. I am a very amateur "seamstress" and accessories maker. I like making cute little things to wear in my hair. Is that so wrong? (Don't judge me!) So yeah. I dunno.

Okay, so you know how I said I wouldn't talk about life? I lied. I might. Maybe. I'll try to make in interesting, but not embellish. So if something of interest happens to me, perhaps I will talk about it. But it's rare. Sorry?

Just little artistic endeavors in general. My first was well, the technical stuff. Using graphite pencils, colored pencils, water colors, acrylic. I can't forget the basics. It's what branched out into my love of color and (ahem) make up addiction. It's what made who I am. It's what made me realize "Hey, make up, hair, clothes and accessories don't HAVE to be functional. They can blend the line of art and function!" Which is probably my number one love. Blurring the line. Turning the oh-so boring homo sapien into a working piece of art. Oh, if only I could become world dictator...

I might talk about books. Or writing. I like to write little short stories. I might post them. Probably not. And I might talk about books. Send me book recommendations, okay? I'm an avid book worm. Blame my father. And Harry Potter. Damn you, Harry Potter. (FYI, I like fiction. Favorite writer? Francesca Lia Block, most definitely. God, she is amazing. If I had a smidge less sanity than I do now, I would most likely build a shrine to that woman. Her writing is like a literary orgasm).

Other things. I go off on tangents often. This blog will probably be 90% tangent. I apologize. I live in a tangent orchard. (Or is that tangerine...). OH. WHICH REMINDS ME. I use a lot of puns. And double entendres. And other... stupid literary thingy-mabobbers. I can't help it. It's genetic.

Okay, well, I suppose that is all for now. I am probably going to be hypocritical and do nothing like what I talked about. Geez. I have a head ache now.

Kyuubified's Ramblings

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab / Trading Post Review and Haul!

I Choose You! - #262 Mightyena

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #133 Eevee

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #384 Rayquaza

Rusted Hearth Makeup Tutorial

Red Panda Face Painting

Misleading Video Thumbnails: A Dramatization

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #039 Jigglypuff

Stila Lip Glazes

Sparkling Copper

Horrible Fanfiction

Old FOTD & blah & MAC Spring Colour Forecast

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #118 Goldeen

Serious Lash Lust

Nars Wish List

Attention! I Need Your Help!

Ultimate Haulage

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #359 Absol

Christmas... haul? o__o

I Have a New Found Love

EOTN - Miss Violeta

Katamari Damacy Inspired Look

Conflicting Feelings

Face of.... Two Days Ago?

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #004 Charmander

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #007 Squirtle

Style Black and Dsquared Lovin'

Meh

92 Asphyxiations at the Romping Rave

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #001 Bulbasaur

I Choose You! Tutorial Series - #025 Pikachu

New Tutorial Series!

I need to think of more interesting ways to say "Haul" in the title

Oh hi there, China Glaze

Tagged! o:

Electric Surfin' Coral; FOTD + Tutorial

Swatches of Collective Haul (better late than never)

Tutorial!!!

Swatch Request + Anime Expo + Haulage!

I Am A Neglectful Soul!

I Love Swap Meets

To Tutorial or Not to Tutorial?

I Finally Got the 88 Palettes!

Oh No

Haul and Rant

HUGE Repost; Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Tempeh, Tofu, and Petay; Foods of Ultimate Deliciousness

Movies, and Make Up That Suprises You

Heavenly Natural Beauty Haul

Duochrome Madness

Hauling Results in Happy Wallets

*Groan* I am such a NERD

Kyuub Cravings

An Introduction, of Sorts

Groan I am such a NERD